War on the Falmartean Front
by Tiamatio
Summary: What if the Gate opened in Manhattan in the middle of World War 2? The United States opens a new theatre in the war against this mysterious foe. Rated M for strong language, violence, and suggestive themes. OC warning too, I guess.
1. Total War

**Chapter 1: Total War**

Manhattan 1943. The World is engulfed in the most catastrophic conflict in human history: World War 2. The United States is fighting a war on 2 fronts, Imperial Japan in the Pacific and the Third Reich in morale is at an all-time high, with war fever present in every man, woman and child. The hustle-and-bustle of Midtown Manhattan is replaced with workers and military personnel working around the clock. Even civilians were busying themselves to provide for the war effort. And on May 30th, 1943 at 11:50 AM, the crowds of Manhattan were shocked by the sudden appearance of a strange marble structure in the middle of the city. It stayed dormant for about 30 minutes, which prompted many local police force and military personnel to go on standby.

A young man was doing a crossword puzzle in a local coffee shop when he heard that a weird building propped up in the middle of the street. He seemed intrigued by the structure but decided to continue his crossword in peace.

"A word for disorder and confusion…?" He wondered aloud as he tapped a pencil to his temple.

"What about Pandemonium?" An older voice said. The young man sighed as he stared up to the owner of the shop.

"I could've figured that out on my own, thank you very much!" He said as he scribbled down the word. "So what's up Hank? Or are you going to tell me about that archway down the street? Because if so, I've already heard it countless times already."

"Read me like a book, didn't you?" Hank chuckled as the younger man gazed at him with a bored expression. "Aren't you a least bit interested in that thing too?"

"I am, I just want to finish my coffee and puzzle first. It hasn't harmed anyone… at least I hope it hasn't."

"So it would seem… Also, a fantastical concept of the arcane is Magic."

"Dammit Hank, I was about to get that myself!" The young man fumed as the other man laughed joyfully. He finished out his coffee as he pulled out a few coins. "Here, thanks for the coffee, and no thanks for ruining my puzzle!"

"Heheh, you're too easy you know? So where you off to now?"

"That weird thing down the street. Gonna check it out, and hopefully nothing goes wrong." The young man said as he grabbed his coat and walked out the store. After a few minutes of walking, he reached his destination. A crowd gathered by the structure, with local police getting people to stand back. Militia forces were placed all over the street should the structure pose a threat. Suddenly, the marble structure started to glow until a void appeared in the opening of the archway. It stayed quiet for a few seconds until something _flew_ out of the portal. It soared around for a bit before hovering above the crowd menacingly, flapping its wings at a steady pace.

Out of the portal came other fantastical creatures and what seemed to be Roman centurions. They sported a strange, purple and yellow flag as cavalry units appeared. The men looked around in shock at the sight of the skyscrapers but reigned themselves back in and began to surge forward. The crowd ran away in fear as the mysterious army attacked and killed those in their path. Local police force tried to gun down the invaders but was overrun by the waves of attackers. The gathered militia had a better time dealing with the attackers as they radioed for backup.

The young man ran out to the streets and went to defend the civilians. He saw a little girl crying next to a dead policeman, who was killed by an arrow to his throat. He ran over and got the girl up as he found a legionnaire try to lunge at him. The young man grabbed the policeman's revolver and fired into the invader's head, killing him.

"Hey, kid! Get to running! I'll catch up, you just listen to the cops alright?!" The girl teared up a bit but nodded as she went and ran behind the military barricade. He watched her safely escape as he turned his attention to more civilians fleeing. He and other militants safely escorted the people out of harm's way as they continued to battle in the streets of Manhattan. The young man eventually escaped over to the Madison Square Garden arena, where other refugees hid and were protected by the armed forces.

The invasive forces were finally routed several hours later, as tanks and fighter planes arrived on the scene, killing off the hostile threats. The tanks blasted through the bullet spongey ogres as the airplanes gunned down the wyvern riders. Infantrymen were able to gun down the ancient army efficiently as the invaders started to make a retreat. Mages protected their archers with magical barriers, but the spell wore off eventually, allowing the soldiers to blast through the enemy's ranks. The offensive mages were more of a threat, with fire and lighting being flung at the US soldiers. Some were killed by the spells but were quickly avenged by their brothers-in-arms. Only a few invaders made it back through the portal, taking away any citizens they could grab before leaving. The armed forces mopped up any last stranglers as they made their way to OK the citizens in Madison Square Garden.

* * *

After the battle, civilians reunited with loved ones, although some couldn't. The young man watched as the little girl from earlier crying bitterly in a corner.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked as he approached the girl. She couldn't be older than 6 he thought.

"M-m-my *hic* daddy… H-h-he's n-not co-coming back… He wa-was all I had…" She then burst out in tears as she cried into her knees. He watched somberly as the girl was facing the fact she was now orphaned. A state he couldn't bear. He got down and hugged the girl, who accepted it willingly. After a few moments, the young man pulled her back a bit so he could look at her.

"Hey, hey listen, look at me ok?" The girl wiped her eyes as she stared up at him. "Good… now kid, I need you to be strong. Can you be strong for me?" She nodded as he smiled. "Thank you. Now then, what's your name?"

"…Natalie…" She whispered.

"Natalie, huh… well then Natalie, I'm not letting you leave here with anywhere to go. So, how do you think about staying with me?" The girl perked up at this and looked in awe at the man before her. "I know I won't be the perfect replacement for your old man, but I don't want-"

"Ok."

"Huh?"

"I said ok. I-I know my daddy won't come back, but… if you're gonna be my big brother from now on… I'd like that…" The girl looked at the older boy, who smiled with relief as he ruffled her hair. He got up and extended his hand.

"Alright then, let's go then." She almost took his hand but remembered one last thing.

"Hey, big brother… what's your name?"

"Oh, my bad. It's Leo. Leo Collins, I work for the army. And I guess after today… you'll be Natalie Collins."

* * *

A few days after the Battle of Manhattan, Leo was rewarded for his bravery in the battle. He was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant for his actions, an upgrade from his Sergeant Major status. After his awarding, FDR made his way to the podium. From there he talked about the appearance of the attackers, the intentions of the invaders known as the Saderan Empire and ending it off with a declaration of war against said invaders. This took everyone present by surprise. World War 2 was already at its highest point, and even if the Nazis were being pushed on the defensive, they still controlled a majority of Europe. As for the Japanese, the Pacific theatre is at a stand-still with both sides stuck in bitter warfare.

The broadcast and declaration of war resounded all over the world. The Allies voiced their support for their American ally, who was once again attacked without warning by a new entry into the War. The Soviets, however, were wary of the Gate, knowing that if the States got full control of it, they'd have an abundance of resources. And even if they're allies now, who's to say the Americans would stay to that in the future? The Japanese viewed the entry of the Gate as a blessing since the U.S would now have to allocate resources to fighting in the new territory rather than focusing on Japan. As for the Nazis, they claimed that only America would be foolish enough to fight 3 empires at once, but secretly had plans for the Gate should they make it to the American homeland.

The American populous were on board with a war with this new combatant, wishing revenge for the lives lost and the prisoners captured by those cowardly bastards. And after a few weeks of fortifying the Gate's area, the United States would enter the portal. They would send a sizable amount of ground troops along with tanks and planes. The area known as Alnus Hill would be their starting point. After securing the fort, the armed forces are to launch an invasion into the Saderan Empire. Information gathered from the Latin-speaking Saderans revealed that they lived on a continent named Falmart. Therefore, the new battlegrounds of the Second World War would be known as the Falmartean Theatre, and the region itself being known as the New World.

Amongst the men going to Falmart was Leo Collins. He entrusted his close friend Hank Wall to take care of his little sister while he was away. Collins would be the second-in-command of Recon Squad C, tasked with scouting out areas for invasions and making friendly contact with locals. The purpose of such a task is to not only gather information but to ensure the safety of locals who are unaffiliated with the Empire. The U.S did not want any unnecessary conflict, wishing to quickly overrun this threat.

* * *

Recon Squad C consists of 8 members. Each one prepared the Empire. The squadron would leave to go to the New World in about 15 minutes, so they decided to get to know each other better. The Recon Squad were in a separate room like other squadrons as they awaited deployment. A grizzled man stepped up to speak with the soldiers present.

"Morning boys, my name is Jonah O'Hara, First Lieutenant. I'll be in charge of this squad here." The man's voice commanded respect but had a hint of friendliness. "Now then, let's get some introductions shall we? Anything we share here stays between us alright?" After getting affirmative nods, he continued. "Good. I'm 42 years old, and I served in North Africa before being called back here." He smiled at the memory as a younger man started up.

"Well ain't you a charmer? Name's Axton Gar, Sergeant. Friends just call me Axe." He ran a hand through his blond hair as he continued. "20 years old, fresh from Georgia, and ready to kick some ass!" O'Hara got a good laugh out this.

"I like your spunk kid! And you there! What's your story?" He said, calling out a soldier fiddling with his pouch. The man straightened out upon being called upon.

"My name is Eric Parker, Technician Third Grade. I'm 24 and I, uh, joined because I… really like working with machines." The dirty-blonde haired man admitted. This got a few more laughs out of the group but was glad to have the technician on board. Going down the list, a soldier on the younger side piped up.

"I'm Private Conrad Andrews. I'm 17 and ever since reading that Hobbit book, I've been wanting to enter the New World."

"Wait, hold on. Did you say you were 17?" Axe asked. After a quick nod by Conrad, he whistled in amusement. "Jeez, so young… practically a kid!"

"Like you're any better." A voice retorted. Everyone turned to meet the owner, a man with short, brown hair and towering over everyone save for O'Hara. "Oliver Grant, First Sergeant. 32 years old. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The tall man sat back down as he signalled for another man to introduce himself.

"Oh, yeah. My name is Frederick Till, Private First Class. I'm 23 years old, got bored at home, came here. And I think that's all there is to me." He nudged the soldier to his right to go before sitting back down. The soldier groaned as they turned to face the group. They took off their helmet and revealed shoulder height orange hair, and after parting it away from their face revealed an effeminate face, surprising everyone present.

"Corporal Caroline Innes, at your service. I'm 25, joined up to fight since no one else in my family could. I got good know-how in the medical side of things, so leave wounds and such to me."

The room was quiet for a bit until Eric broke the silence.

"So you lied about your gender to get in here?"

"Wouldn't call it that, more like… uh… yeah ok, I lied. But what else could I do, you know? Besides who hasn't lied to enter the army before?" 6 hands went up as she sighed. But all eyes turned to the one person who didn't raise a hand: Leo Collins. Caroline took this as a chance to divert attention away from her. "Hey, you. Why isn't your hand up, huh?"

"Me?"

"Who else?!"

"Well, if I raised up my hand I'd be lying." After a few confused looks at him, Leo stood up to introduce himself. "Leo Collins, Second Lieutenant. I enlisted a few months ago. I only got my rank from my actions in Manhattan."

"Ok, but that doesn't explain why you didn't raise up your hand."

"Well… I'm 16. Won't be 17 till next February." This got everyone talking until O'Hara lifted a hand to silence them.

"I'm just as surprised as everyone else here, but remember, not a word to anyone who isn't in our squad. Still," O'Hara sized up Leo, who stared back at him quizzically. "I didn't expect someone as young as you as my second-in-command."

"Jesus, another kid… what are we, Japs?" Caroline muttered. Axe and Eric laughed at this, much to her ire. Frederick shrugged at the news and struck up a conversation with Conrad, who started talking with him about fantasy topics. The older men started to make small talk, with them talking about their families at home. Hearing this, Leo's mind drifted to Natalie, wishing she was doing ok. He just hopes he can make it back soon to spend more time with the little girl.

* * *

After a few more minutes, the troops were called to deploy. It would be the first time U.S troops will fight on another world's soil, and they were ready for whatever lied beyond the Gate. Loading into Jeeps, the Squadrons and Platoons of the Army went through the Gate, followed by M3 Lees, M4 Shermans, and other tank variants. Although smaller fighter planes like the P-51 Mustang could go through without hassle, larger aircraft would have to wait before being deployed over in the New World.

The entry into the New World was a dark void that had a light luminating at the end of the tunnel. The armed forces went ahead and got through the exit. Upon exiting the Gate, the area around them was a hilltop, with a valley beyond them. Spotters were able to scope out the enemy forces who were nearby, lying in wait for the United States' army. The battle cry of the prideful warriors resonated throughout the valley, giving some soldiers chills. But they shook it off as they entered their vehicles and went to battle.

The tanks stormed through the terrain, ignoring the arrow onslaught as they tore through enemy ranks. Soldiers in the backlines gunned down Saderan foot soldiers as they tried to encroach onto No Man's Land. Wyvern riders tried to get the drop onto the entrenched soldiers, but fighter planes made their lives a living hell with the raw damage pumped into the beasts. Any tank-like troops the empire had were blown to smithereens by M18 Hellcats.

Mage units were the biggest adversary in the battle. The spellcasters created forcefields that stopped regular gunfire as they launched powerful spells against the war vehicles. Some hit the tanks, which were immobilized, but were able to keep firing. Aircraft had to maneuver around the airborne mages atop the wyverns, who launched ice spells at them. But like the standard riders, they too were shredded by the aircraft's gunfire. Some planes hit by the spells, and the unfortunate soldiers were either blown up in the plane's explosion or were skewered while trying to parachute out.

Ground troops suffered some casualties as well, with the arrow storm managing to hit and even kill some. But the number of soldiers lost by the U.S was minuscule compared to the Empire's loss. The more the battle dragged on, the fewer waves of soldiers approached. After a day of fighting, the Imperial army was all but wiped, with the remnants retreating. U.S soldiers cried out in their first victory against the empire.

**First Battle of Alnus Hill**

**Result: Overwhelming United States Victory**

**60% of the Saderan Imperial Army… Completely Annihilated**

With the dust settled and the Imperial army wiped out, the US went to fortify their position on Alnus Hill before advancing further into the Empire. According to the leading General, it was better for a strong home front to be made before going directly on the offensive. 'Just take a look at the Germans' he said. With that in mind, the new fortress was built, with the groundwork for expansion in the works. The fort held the purpose of aircraft and tank storage, bunkers, rest areas, and medical wings. Siege guns were mounted on its roofs and walls, meaning that any Imperial invasion of the stronghold would be met with heavy resistance. A cemetery was made to bury the fallen soldiers of the battle and to honor them. The base was dubbed Fort Gate and would be the main base of Allied operations.

* * *

The news of this otherworldly adversary defeating the Saderan Empire brought shockwaves all over the empire. Especially towards her ruler, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus. The remnants of the fighting forces sent a messenger to the capital of the Empire, who arrived there a week after the slaughter. He requested an immediate audience with Emperor Molt.

"_Y-your Highness…! I-I've returned!"_

"_Oh? And what say you, messenger?"_ The old man gazed upon the frightened messenger with curiosity. What could've happened to prompt such a terrified soldier before him?

"_The forces we've sent to invade the world beyond the Gate… Only 13 return…"_

"_13 Legions? That is very troubling… but were they at least victorious?"_

"_No sire, what I mean isn't that 13 legions survived… but rather 13 men!"_ This revelation shook every man in the throne room to his very core. The senators present were arguing amongst themselves as to how this even happened.

"_ENOUGH!"_ Molt's voice boomed throughout the hall, shushing the men present. _"Are you certain of this, messenger?"_

"_Y-yes sire. Our troops were utterly decimated at the battle. I was told to run back here to inform you of the dire situation. But the survivors, they look like they've been to Hell and back. They speak of such strange horrors of the battle."_ The meek man lowered his head as the Emperor digested this piece of news. It was worrying that a major force of their army was defeated. If news of this defeat were to spread… Suddenly, a devious plan clicked into Molt's head.

'_Yes, of course… a win/win scenario for our empire indeed…'_

"_Messenger!"_

"_Y-Your Majesty?"_

"_Send a message to our Vassal States. Tell the Kings to sound the call to arms and to drive these invaders back beyond the gate."_

"_That's… It will be done, milord…" _The messenger somberly walked out of the war room, with some senators looking at Molt inquisitively. Molt himself was prepared for the outcome of this plan, and already had plans in motion. But for now, it would be wise to wait. For now at least.

* * *

A month later, Fort Gate had come a long way from its smaller state. It had much larger and improved walls and defensive positions. Proper wings were established, and the stronghold itself appeared very imposing on Alnus Hill. The airplane field was firmly established and heavily guarded. Despite the Empire being primitive in nature, it'd be nice to not have a repeat of Pearl Harbor here. The underground war room was fully established, where a meeting was taking place.

"According to intel gathered by Recon Squad A, our enemies are amassing a large force just beyond our parameters. Won't be too long till they pass our boundary line." A grizzled old man explained. He is General Kalvin Warner, the leading general of the Falmartean Theatre. "Estimated strength… about 100,000 or so men. This includes wyvern riders and cavalry units."

"The cavalry shouldn't be too much of a problem. Mow 'em down with machine gun fire." A younger officer said. "Although, I worry about some of the more… unrealistic members of these forces."

"Oh, how so?" Another officer asked. "Even with their hocus-pocus bullshit, we've still overrun them."

"If we compare them to the Romans of our world, these Saderans could be just as adaptable to changes. I suspect that with each loss, they get more and more wary of our fighting style. Those mages could potentially be a giant swing factor should they adapt first."

"You raise some good points, Colonel Hughes…" Warner said, stroking his chin in thought. Once he got an idea he started again. "Then why don't we take a page out of the German's book? We'll do a Blitzkrieg offensive for this upcoming battle. Not only will it force the Imperials on the defensive, but we'll then get the momentum to started out invasion of the Imperial homeland." After a few scattered murmurs, the officers present agreed to the plan. The plan was set into motion, and the army prepared for their offensive.

* * *

After days of preparation, the Allied States were just about ready for their assault onto Alnus Hill. Before their strike, the Kings decided to host a war council. The first one to speak was the Duke of League Principality, Ligu.

"_This battle shall bring glory to all of us vassal states! It seems the Emperor has finally recognized our greatness! Aren't I right Duran?"_ He laughed as he nudged the older man to his left. The man in purple armor sighed as he looked at the map.

"_I worry about this battle. We have received no word from the Saderan reinforcements Molt was sending and I question our being here. Didn't the Emperor send 120 legions to battle? If so, where are they?"_ The man shook his head as he continued. _"I have a bad feeling about this fight. We must act with haste. Even if the enemy won against the Empire here, they must be weakened after such a battle."_

"_You worry too much old friend,"_ The King of Alguna said. _"With you at our forefront, we should be fine." _

"_I hope you are correct…"_ Suddenly, a soldier burst into the chambers, fear worn all over his face.

"_MY LORDS!"_

"_What is the meaning of this?!"_ Ligu exclaimed.

"_T-The enemy… They're already here!"_

"_WHAT?! Impossible! Didn't out scouts say they were still at their base?"_

"_Yes, but now they're encroaching onto our positions! What do we do?!"_

"_Put on your helmets. We hold our position and fight for a chance to push back. TO ARMS!" _Duran roared as the Kings ran out to fight with their troops. The Vassal army was unexpectedly forced onto the defensive as the otherworlder's iron elephants and metal vultures stormed their ranks. Their soldiers rode in horseless wagons as they attack with their mysterious rods. The iron elephants' trunks exploded, sending their soldiers flying or blowing them up. The wyvern riders attempted to intercept the metal vultures, but after a series of loud cracks, the dragons fell to the ground as the 'birds' rained down hell upon the soldiers.

Duke Ligu foolishly tried to lead a charge against one of the elephants, wherein one flash, most of his raiding party were blown away, with Ligu's own body being blown to bits. The other kings attempted similar rushes, each ending the same, gruesome way. The mages cast their elemental magic, which some were able to incapacitate the elephants from moving, but their trunks kept firing. Men dressed in green came out of the downed beast, shocking the legionnaires present. One man went to heal the beast with a strange tool as the others used their rods to take down any approaching soldiers.

The siege was going terribly for the Vassal States, with many of them losing their leaders in the process. All the while, King Duran stared at the destruction and carnage before him. He clutched his bow hard as he realized what happened.

'_The reinforcements aren't coming… The Empire brought us here to die…'_ He started to laugh like a madman as he aimed his bow towards the enemy. Unbeknownst to him, an artillery shell landed a few feet away from him, primed to explode in seconds.

"_I'm not leaving… until I give them one, good shot…" _He nocked the arrow back, aiming at an engineer. But before he could release it, the artillery shell exploded, causing Duran's weapon to explode and him to be blown back. The blitzkrieg attack lasted for another hour until the Vassal Army was completely wiped out. The battlefield was littered with Imperial corpses, and as for the United States, about 100 men died with a few tanks damaged in the battle. They'll need repairs before heading back into battle again and the men needed to be buried. Overall, the operation was considered a success.

**Second Battle of Alnus Hill**

**Result: Decisive United States Victory**

**Saderan Vassal States… Utterly Defeated**

* * *

Any survivors of the battle were found and brought into the medical wing of Fort Gate to be cared for and eventually interrogated. Out of the survivors was an old man in ruined, purple armor. His injuries were terrible, but doctors were able to save his life. He lost his left eye, left arm, and right leg. His body was littered with scars, and his eyes were desolate. Upon being resuscitated, he was brought in for interrogation. General Warner and a Latin translator, Francisco Suarez.

"Hello, sir. I'm here on the behalf of the United States. Before we get started, mind telling us your name?" The man spoke, to which Suarez translated.

"Duran huh? Strong name… Now then, I want to ask you some questions about this empire we're fighting. Any information helps." Duran spoke again, to which Suarez widened his eyes in surprise. "Hey, Suarez. Don't leave me in the dark, what's wrong?"

"He… he says that the Empire betrayed him. So he'll do the exact same. Duran is willing to answer any and all questions you have." He listened to Duran speak again before continuing. "If allying with us means the fall of the Saderan Empire, then Elbe's sword is with us."

"Really now? That's great news then. Now then Duran… what exactly is this place?"

* * *

"Look alive boys, we've got new orders," O'Hara said, holding some files in his hands. The team watched their Lieutenant as he laid out the plans before them. "According to high command, we're to scout out any villages nearby. Our mission is to warn them of the war and get them to either ally with us or ensure their neutrality. Our sister squads went West and South respectively. So we'll head East and go from there. Any questions?" One hand went up. "Go ahead."

"Will we see any friendly elves?" Conrad asked excitedly Leo let out a sigh, but before he could say anything, Axe stepped in.

"You know, I really, _really_ wanna hit you right now for asking such a shit question." Conrad shrank a bit at this, but Axe continued. "Thinkin' 'bout what we saw here… I'd say hell yeah!" The younger boy perked up immediately. "You know a bunch about these things. Think we'll see some bimbos or are they gonna be prudes like Innes here?" An angry 'hey!' was heard from Caroline, but he ignored it.

"Given by what we know through Tolkien's novels and our own legends… I'm going with stuck-up." Frederick replied as he flipped through a comic. "What about you Eric?"

"M-me? Hmm… I'm gonna go with... bimbos? I dunno though. Here's hoping they'll treat us nice."

"If they're even friendly." Grumbled Grant as he shut his novel close. "Given by what we saw here, who's to say they won't blast us with magic the moment we meet them?"

"And I thought I was the downer here…" Caroline sighed. "Would it kill you to lighten up a bit old man?"

"I am lightened up. I'm just a realist." The rest of the team chattered for a bit as Leo got a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Here they were, about to march into enemy territory, and the only thing on everyone's mind would be if the elves are sexy or not.

"Hey, Leo!" Eric called out, catching Leo's attention. "What about you? Snobs or Bitches?"

"I don't think I'm the right person to ask here…" He turned to look at his commander, who shrugged as he looked back at him. He shook his head as he relented. "But I'd go with… nice, fair women. Not overtly snobbish, I think."

"Hey, no fair! That ain't one of the choices!" Axe cried.

"Well, I'm the Second Lieutenant here, and I say it is now."

"Wise usage of your power there boy." O'Hara quipped. The other boy groaned as the squad got another good laugh. Leo couldn't help but join in as the talked about nonsensical stuff for a bit.

'Moments like these are nice… I'd like to cherish them while they last.' Leo thought to himself. Eventually, O'Hara got up and gathered his team's attention.

"Alright men, we're headed East to find some friendlies. Pack your stuff and load up." In their small convoy consisted of an M18 Hellcat, 3 M3 Half-tracks, and 2 jeeps. Some of the squad members rode in jeeps, while others rode in the Half-tracks with the other soldiers.

* * *

"Imagine this view, but filled with shells… Those Nazis bastards really tore up England hard…" Eric said, looking out towards the plains.

"I'm sure the boys over there are gonna give them what's comin' to 'em soon. S'only a matter of time." Axe replied, laid back in the car. A strange smell filled his nose as he sniffed around. "Y'all smellin' that? Smells like…"

"Smoke." Frederick softly said, looking to his right in horror.

"Yeah, smoke! Nice catch Freddie!" Frederick's face was still in shock, causing Axe to get worried for his spectacled comrade. "Fred?"

"BOSS!" The boy cried. "There's some heavy smoke comin' from that area over there!" Everyone turned to see what Frederick was talking about, and they noticed a black pillar of smoke coming from the forest. O'Hara took the initiative of the situation.

"What in the goddamn… Hey, you boys in the truck! Follow me, we're going to investigate!" He then turned to the remainder of the convoy. "You fellas set up close by, we'll radio for backup, but for now stay put!" O'Hara got his crew to ride into the forest, following the smoke trail. It was a rough drive, but eventually, they reached a forest village. Or what remained of it rather. The huts were all but burnt to ashes, and the area was littered with…

"Dear God… are these elf corpses?!" Caroline gasped, while a private from the other convoy vomited. "Shit, are we too late?"

"It looks so… why don't we scourge around for any supplies then? I doubt there are any survivors here…" O'Hara somberly sighed as he sifted through the remains of a house. He stopped at the sight of a charred elf, before moving her aside silently.

"We should give these guys a proper funeral before we leave then…" Frederick said in a melancholic tone. "Dammit, I need a drink…"

"There's a well over here, find out if it's got any fresh water," Grant said as he lit a cigarette on a burning roof. He noticed a few members giving him an odd stare and shrugged. "Hey, I'm taking any advantage I can get."

"Jesus man…" Was all Conrad said as he took a seat on a fallen log. The group only found some minor scraps and trinkets and were about to leave until Frederick called out again.

"Uhh… guys? You might want to see this…" Leo and O'Hara got over to see what the private wanted, and when they followed his flashlight trail, their eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

"Jesus Christ…"

"HEY! YOU THREE!" O'Hara called out to three convoy soldiers. "Get over here, we got a survivor!" The men rushed over, along with other soldiers on the team. Frederick went into the well, where he grabbed the person before being hauled out by the rest of the squad.

"Innes!"

"On it!" The woman had her medical bag at the ready as she inspected the person before her. A blonde elf girl, looked no older than 18, dressed in rags, and looked worse for wear. But the fact she was breathing gave the medic a sigh of relief. After patching up some external wounds, the girl was taken to the armored car. "She'll be fine physically. But after seeing what happened here, I worry about her state up here." She said, tapping her helmet.

"Thanks, Innes, you're a life saver." Leo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He then addressed the rest of the team he gathered for the small excursion. "Alright men, you lot in the half-track take the elf and head back to the others. We'll find out what to do with her later." The men from the convoy nodded as they loaded back up with the elf as they left. "As for us… let's give these guys a proper burial."

The burying process took about 2 hours, but the elves were all buried, with Axe surprisingly giving the fallen a sending off prayer.

"My old man's a religious nut… He said since I'm headin' to war, I should learn to pray for the dead, no matter who they are."

The trip back to the rest of the troops was in silence. No one spoke a word, too disturbed by what they saw. The only thing on their minds was what caused this carnage and why they did it. The recon squad returned without hassle as they continued onto their journey.

* * *

After 30 minutes of driving, the group reached a small hamlet. The thing that struck out was instead of imperial soldiers at the gates, were simple farmers. The men gazed at the vehicles in awe as the soldiers made their way into the village. They stepped out of their way mostly out of fear of this new presence. The citizens stopped what they were doing and looked onto the outsiders in curiosity and worry.

Recon Squad C got out first, with Leo OK'ing the rest of the teams to unload.

"They seem docile now. Just be ready for anything, alright?" The soldiers gave a salute as he and O'Hara made their way to find the person in charge. An elderly man approached the two men and asked them something in Latin. Leo tried to converse but gave up mid-sentence.

"Fuck it, you handle this old man! I'm not gonna embarrass myself anymore that I need to."

"…Is this because you didn't pay attention to the Latin class we took at the base?"

"No! It's just…fine, it is." O'Hara raised an eyebrow at the younger boy while he defended himself. "Don't give me that look! That class was boring as hell!"

"I would say that that Axton kid would agree, but somehow he knows a lot more than you."

"Oh shut up! Listen, you're really good at speaking this language fluently, plus you're a lot more experienced at negotiations than me. So don't expect me to do a lot of talking okay?" O'Hara sighed but agreed anyway.

"I'm not doing this by myself though. You're coming with me and you're going to learn on the fly."

"Oh come on!"

Meanwhile, the village elder looked on in confusion as the two men before him bickered. He cleared his throat to get their attention. They stared back at him as he started up again.

"_I said, what are you men doing here?"_ The older man stood up straight, but not before nudging the younger one, much to his ire.

"_We are on a mission. We want to engage in peace talks with you."_ The other man nodded as he continued. _"My name is Jonah O'Hara. This one is Leo Collins."_ The younger man waved, then he spoke, although his accent was much rougher.

"_Peace, please. No want to harm. Pizza urchin."_ The one named O'Hara laughed as Leo fumed.

"You do realize you said pizza urchin instead of please understand."

"S-shut up! I'm trying ok!" Despite the men's trouble with their language, the village chief understood what they wanted.

"_I see… alright then, if you would, follow me. We shall discuss everything you need to know at my cottage."_ The men let out a sigh of relief as the elder walked towards a large house in the middle of the village. Following him, they entered a rather humble abode as the man took a seat. _"Now then, I assume you're a part of forces the Empire is fighting, correct?"_

"_Yes, that is correct."_

"_Hmm… how curious. You are not like other armies. Others would pillage villages such as ours during war, yet you claim you want to make peace with us?"_

"_Precisely. We'd rather not drag anyone else into our fight. Our fight is with the Empire and the Empire alone." _O'Hara explained. A half-truth, given what the U.S is doing outside the Gate, but the old man doesn't need to know that. _"My friend and I here are the leaders of this small force. And we'd appreciate if you would either ally with us or remain neutral."_

"_That boy is also in charge? He looks so young though."_

"_Hey! I earn rank! No insult!" _The boy chimed in, causing both men to chuckle.

"_Lively one, isn't he?"_

"_Indeed. So then, do you agree to help us?"_

"_I'd prefer if our village would stay neutral. But I have a friend named Cato el Altestan. An old wizard with a gifted apprentice. They can be helpful to your cause if you ask them."_

"_Where they?"_

"_Off towards the edge of town, they live in a small hu-"_ The elder was cut off by Leo dashing out of the house. O'Hara groaned at his Lieutenant's eagerness to escape the conversation. Although he can't blame him, he was still a boy, no matter how mature he may seem at times.

"_I apologize for my second-in-command. Guess he really doesn't want those Latin lessons… Too bad he still has to speak it when talking to the sorcerer."_

"_Latin?"_

"_Oh, sorry. I meant your language. It's very similar to a language from our world."_

"_Oho? Very interesting indeed… But your face, you look like you have something else on your mind. What troubles you, Mr O'Hara?"_

"_Well, you see…"_

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Outside the village elder's house, the soldiers were on standby. Some stood by their vehicles in case anything happened, but Axe had different plans. He holstered his rifle as he walked over to some children playing.

"Axe!" Eric harshly whispered. "The hell are you doing?!"

"Relax Eric, I'm just gonna ease some tensions with my charm." Axe approached the kids, who stared up to him curiously. Their parents looked on in horror, afraid they might see their child die to this mysterious warrior. But what happened next surprised everyone present. Axe grabbed the small ball the kids were playing with and gave them a… baseball mitt?

"_You kids wanna learn how to play ball?"_

Leo ran out of the tent, only to be met with the sight of about 8 soldiers playing baseball with the village kids and even adults. And the head of the whole operation was none other than Axe, who was helping a village boy swing the bat. When he got a hard hit, Axe laughed joyfully as he gave the kid a high-five.

"_Now THAT'S how you hit a ball! Good job kiddo!"_ He ruffled the head of the boy before getting up and seeing Leo, who was staring at him dumbfounded. "Somethin' on my face?"

"I-uh… no, it's nothing…" Leo shook his head as he stared at the scene with amazement. In the short amount of time that he and the captain were out… these guys made friends with the village through baseball. Leo wondered whether or not he should be proud of Axton's actions. He'll just go with the former for now.

"It was quite amusing you know," Frederick's voice came up from behind them. The spectacled man carried a smile on his face as he tossed a ball back into the makeshift field. "One minute we thought Axton gonna commit a war crime, the next we're playing ball with the villagers. What a strange turn of events."

"I-yeah sure. Anyways, you guys saw a wizard 'round here?"

"…Like Gandalf?"

"Who?"

"A character from the Hobbit." A confused look from both men made him sigh in disappointment.

"Thinkin' you spendin' too much time with Conrad, Freddie." Axe joked.

"Oh haha, laugh it up, Joe DiMaggio. Anyways, why do you want to see a wizard?"

"The elder says him and his apprentice can help us out. So while Cap is dealing with the old guy, I'll talk with the wizard. Said his name was Cato el Altestan or something."

"Cato… can't say I've heard of someone with that name, although I did see a blue-haired girl with a staff walking around. See if she knows anything."

"Oh, ya mean Lelei?" Axe chimed in.

"Wait, you know her?" Frederick asked, in which Axe nodded, catching the man in glasses by surprise.

"Yeah, Lelei la Lalena is her name she said. She's talkin' with Caroline and Conrad right now."

"Great, thanks Axe! You too Fred!" Leo then took off to find this girl. And just like Axe said, the bluenette was with his squad mates. The closer he got, he was able to hear their conversation, and to his surprise, the girl was speaking fluent English.

"-nd these beasts are tankers?"

"They're just tanks, but yeah. They're not alive at all." Caroline said as she knocked on the plating of the Hellcat, making a clunking sound. "See?"

"Amazing… Who knew there could be such strange contraptions..." The girl said in awe. Conrad then noticed Leo approach and saluted.

"Hey sir, guess what? This gal's a full-fledged magician!"

"I'm still learning. I'm not a master. Not yet at least" The girl then turned to meet Leo, who looked at her with curiosity. "And who are you?" Leo recovered from his shock as he hastily replied.

"M-my name is Leo Collins, I'm second-in-command here. I actually wanted to meet with you."

"Me? What for?"

"I'm trying to find a man named Cato el Altestan and his apprentice. Do you know where they are?" A small giggle from the girl caught the boy off-guard as he blushed a little. "Did I say something funny…?"

"Well, the thing is Leo, I AM the disciple of Cato el Altestan." Leo almost hit himself when she said this.

"Of course, why wouldn't the only other mage be his apprentice… God, I'm an idiot." He shook his head as he went back to Lelei. "Hey, you mind accompanying me to where your master is then? I'd assume you of all people would know." Lelei tapped her finger to her chin as she considered the lieutenant's offer.

"I don't see why not? Yes, I'll get master for you then." She walked off away from the group before stopping to turn around and beckoned towards Leo. "Are you coming?"

"O-oh, yeah, on my way!" Leo said, trying to hide his blush of embarrassment. He ran up to catch up with the girl, who waited for him patiently.

"You know, that girl is impressive," Caroline said as she watched the two teens walk off, talking about something.

"You said it… I dunno what I expected when she pointed that wand at her tongue, but certainly not that!" Earlier, Lelei met with the squad members while Axton was playing with the village kids. She spoke in Latin, and although they tried to speak it with her, they were still rough on it. Then Lelei asked Caroline to open her mouth. She warily did so, and Lelei pointed her wand at her own tongue while using her free hand to touch Caroline's. A flash of light later and the girl was speaking Fluent English, although she started sweating quite a bit after this process.

According to the girl, the spell was a bit of a strenuous one due to it having to manually translate the language piece by piece. And the fact this was done almost instantly shook the two soldiers. They ended up trying to laugh it off, but the whole interaction got them thinking about the capabilities of magic. A thought neither of them was ready to explore.

"And to top it off, she's just 16! Now that's a shocker."

"Well, we have our own prodigy kid, the Second Lieutenant."

"That's true… although I'd prefer if they didn't have to fight so young..."

"I dunno, 16 is close enough to an adult yeah? I'm 17 and I still got in."

"Well, you're different. God, I'm acting like a doting mother, aren't I? I just want this mission to go smoothly..."

"You and me both." Conrad said as he popped open a novel he carried around, with Caroline going back to watch the game between the villagers and the convoy. She then noticed the doors of the main house open, with O'Hara and village elder looking distressed about something. Axe ran up to talk with the older man, but his face slowly turned into one of worry as he looked down at the kids by his legs. He nodded as he went back to the others.

"Guys, really bad news," He started, instantly catching everyone's attention. "Remember that scorched village we found earlier? Apparently, the village elder's sayin' a Flame Dragon burnt it to the ground. Says this place is next." O'Hara came up behind him as he took over.

"We came here while they were getting ready to leave anyway. Help wherever you can men, and once they're ready we escort them out of here." Affirmative salutes responded to the order as the men worked to help out the citizens of the village. O'Hara walked up to his squad as they noticed him. "By the way, where's Collins?"

"Went with the girl magician to find her master. He should come back soon though."

"Alright, get to work then boys."

"Sir yes, sir!"

* * *

**7 minutes earlier…**

"So… how did you learn English so well?" Leo asked the girl as they made their way towards the edge of town.

"English? Oh, your language." Lelei pointed to her staff. "I used a translator spell. It was... taxing, to say the least." She said softly, wiping some sweat off her brow. "I should be glad I am able to walk properly. That must be proof that my hard work has been paying off."

"Yeah, no kidding. English's a hard language to learn. I like being able to talk with you in English though. Beats speaking in Latin."

"Latin?"

"Your language. Unless you have another name for it."

"We just call it Falmartean. But Latin rolls off the tongue easier"

"You can say that again."

"But Latin rolls off the tongue easier?"

"…It's a figure of speech." Seeing Lelei watch him quizzically made him sigh. "Don't worry too much about it, I'll teach you later." Their conversation was cut short upon reaching a modest hut. In the front was an elderly man in a pointed hat, who was in the process of loading up a cart. Upon seeing the two teens before him, he waved to them.

"_Lelei! You've returned!"_ The man exclaimed, with Lelei nodding as she took out a small bag from her pouch.

"_Here are the latchberry seeds you wanted Master."_

"_Thank you, dear. And it looks like you've finally gotten yourself a man!" _The girl gave the old man a cold stare before blasting him with ice shards.

"H-hey… isn't that a bit much?" Leo asked, worried for the old man's safety.

"He will be fine. He just needs to learn how to mind his tongue." Lelei responded, only to have the elderly man groan in pain and annoyance.

"_Magic is a precious art, don't go squandering it on menial things!" _The old man cried as he got up. He then turned to Leo, who looked dumbfounded at the bizarre scene before him.

"I take it he's your master?"

"Unfortunately…" She sighed as she spoke to the elderly man. He nodded as he gestured Leo to open his mouth. A flash of light later and the man was speaking fluent English. And surprisingly, not at all fazed by the spell.

"There we are, much better. Now then, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Cato el Altestan, master sage." The man gave a small bow. "And I believe you've already gotten acquainted with my apprentice here."

"Y-yeah. Listen, my name is Leo Collins. I'm here to-"

"As much as I'd like to listen to you, I can't afford to. Lelei and I have to load up our carriage."

"Why is that?"

"A flame dragon has been spotted. And I am not going to stick around and wait for it to gobble me up. So we gotta get out of here!" He waved his wand as crates magically loaded themselves onto the wagon. This took Leo by surprise, who didn't expect the wares to float so seamlessly.

"'Magic is a precious art, don't go squandering it on menial things.' Weren't those your words, master?" The old man laughed nervously as the girl shook her head. "Well, it can't be helped. Do you mind helping us, Leo?"

"S-sure… just as long as I get your cooperation afterwards."

"Kid, if you help me out here, I'll listen to whatever you gotta tell me. When we get the time of course." Leo nodded as he helped the mages load up their carriage. After getting the carriage to a reasonable weight, they went into the town, where their caravan was also getting ready to leave. Leo gave his thanks as he went back to his team.

Cato and Lelei were in the village caravan, talking with some of the townsfolk. A loud thud was heard, along with a scream and soldiers yelling. Lelei, out of curiosity, went to investigate.

_Lelei! What are you doing?"_

"_I'm going to find out what's the problem. I'll be back soon master." _The bluenette ran up to the center of the commotion, shrugging off some soldiers trying to tell her to hold back. She found a horse that was foaming at its mouth on the ground along with a woman who was bleeding from her nose. _"I can fix this… I just need to-" _Her musings were cut short as the horse suddenly reared up, getting ready to trample over her. The girl closed her eyes and waited for the end to come.

"LELEI!" A body tackled her as 3 loud bangs went off nearby. The girl slowly opened her eyes and before her laid the body of the beast, blood pooling out of 3 small holes in its neck. It stirred for a moment before falling still. The blue-haired girl looked up and found herself staring right at Leo, who had a look of worry on his face. "Hey, you alright?" A small nod made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"You… you saved me…"

"Yeah well, you were gonna get yourself killed by sitting there. Don't do that again, alright?" He said as he helped the girl up. She stared at the boy in front of her for a bit. Normally, armies wouldn't care at all for civilian casualties, but this one seemed to actually care for their safety. She then turned her attention to the fallen horse, intrigued by the deadly holes pumped into it. But seeing it made her remember her near-death experience, and the person who saved her. She walked back with Leo as he went to his jeep.

"…Thank you." A small nod from the boy let her know he heard. She sighed in relief as the jeep started to take off.

* * *

The evacuation order was carried out successfully, and the convoy hit the road. On the way through the plains, the convoy kept running into roadblocks.

"_My wagon! It's stuck!"_

"Alright boys, just like training! HEAVE!" Luckily, most were solved by American intervention. However, some villagers just couldn't make it, unfortunately. Others had to set fire to their belongings to make space. A sad reality the Americans faced, unable to assist fully in their efforts. The men in the half-tracks offered to let some villagers ride in their cars, much to the amazement of the children. They were on the road for about an hour until Conrad spotted something.

"Hey, Boss. There's a buncha ravens over there, and a… little girl?"

"What? Sure you ain't hallucinatin'?"

"I'm seeing this right, here you look Axe!" Conrad handed the other boy the binoculars as he went over to the half-track O'Hara and Eric were sitting in. "Hey, something's up. Can you send some guys up?" A quick motion got two men running out of the truck to approach the strange girl. They made simple small talk as they got to her. The girl smiled wistfully as she walked to the caravan with the men. She saw the children in the half-track and grew wary of the men with her.

"_Everyone look! It's the Apostle Rory Mercury!"_ Cried a village man. The other villagers came up and gave her their respects, and the children in the truck smiled giddily at the Victorian girl.

"_Hello everyone, what's going on here? Why are you all in a rush to go somewhere?"_

"_Ah, you see, a Flame Dragon is in the area. We're trying to leave. These men in green are helping us leave. They're very friendly by the way!"_

"_Oh? They aren't dragging you here by force?"_

"_Not at all! One of them is a really fun big brother! His name is Axe and he taught us how to play baseball!"_ A younger girl exclaimed. Rory widened her eyes at such a statement. Not only are they treating the villagers well, but they are friendly too. Most interesting…

The man in the truck tapped the door, getting Rory's attention.

"_Hey, miss. If you're not gonna cause us trouble, are you coming in or not?"_

"_Oh? And who are you? And what's this thing?"_

"_Grant and this is a truck. Are you loading up, yes or no."_

"_I think I shall then, thank you." _She tried sitting in the back, but it was too crowded for her tastes. So she sat in the passenger seat of the truck… which meant she sat on the lap of a very annoyed Grant.

"_Hey, girlie… I ain't Santa. So get off my lap!"_ He grumbled, causing the driver to chuckle. "You shut it!" The man quickly fixed his eyes on the road, but not before attempting to hide his laughter. And much to Grant's ire, Rory adamantly stuck to his lap.

"Ooh… I swear I'm going to lose it…" After the encounter with Rory Mercury, the group carried on, with the only other piece of news was that the elf might wake up soon.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing roar bellowed throughout the plains. The villagers instantly went for cover as the Americans armed themselves for a battle. A large shadow was cast overhead as the behemoth that was the Flame Dragon appeared. It breathed fire over a majority of the village caravan, burning many of them alive. It dropped down to eat the remains of the dead villagers, with others running away in fear.

The American troops spurred into action, firing a hail of bullets into the dragon, who shrugged it off.

"DAMMIT! KEEP FIRING! WE'LL FIND A WEAK SPOT EVENTUALLY!" O'Hara barked as his crew kept blasting the dragon.

"H-hey, what're you doing?!" Caroline's voice came from behind him. A hand then grabbed the man by his shoulder, getting him face-to-face with the elf from earlier.

"_Shoot his eye! That's his weakness!" _She said, pointing to her eye. O'Hara was shocked for a second before nodding.

"MEN! STRIKE ITS EYE!" The team's fire concentrated onto the beast's eye, causing it to stagger back in pain. The tank destroyer rolled up as the radio sparked to life.

"**Hellcat here. Gonna see if we can get a good shot in now. Keep that thing busy alright?"**

"Copy that Hellcat. KEEP FIRING!"

"**Alright, got the shot lined up. I'm gonna let 'er rip!"**

A loud burst was sounded as the Hellcat fired its main gun. The dragon attempted to dodge it, but a quick flash made it lose balance, causing it to trip into the shell. The dust settled and was left a dragon that was bleeding heavily. And to its left was a severed arm, blown off by the Hellcat. The beast snorted before retreating, leaving the convoy alone. The men in the tanks got out as they looked at the giant arm before them before raising their guns into the air.

"**HOORAH!"**

**Whew lad, that was long. But it was really fun writing this. I initially got the idea for this fic really by thinking: How would World War 2 era United States fare against the events of Gate? That and it'd be fun playing with a country that isn't restricted by international laws, because A: UN hasn't been invented yet, and B: The U.S would have free reign to expand, unlike the JSDF in the original story. Any feedback on the story is appreciated, as always! I'm working my other story too, don't worry. Well, until next time, see ya!**

**Next Chapter: Night Running**


	2. Night Running

**Ok, so I know some of you guys had a problem with me using jets. I attribute that to lack of sleep and not reading the dates on their deployment properly. I went back and fixed that little error, so thanks for letting me know that. I don't think I would've gotten those hiccups without that. Anyways time to le.**

**Chapter 2: ****Night**** Running**

The battle with the Flame Dragon left the village convoy devastated and the weary. The soldiers watched as the villagers paid their respects to the fallen, their helmets off in respect. The village elder went to O'Hara once the sending-off ceremony was finished.

"_I appreciate everything you've done for us. Truly, I am. But with how everything is, it'd be better if we continued on our own. Those who have somewhere to go will journey ahead." _He solemnly turned to the others who were staying in the company of the U.S caravan. _"As for the others… I'm afraid we can't care for them. It's cruel, but we have to move on."_ O'Hara crossed his arms in contemplation of the elder's words.

"_An unfortunate turn of events, but I understand. We will decide what to do with the other villagers. Safe travels friend."_

"_As to you, Mr. O'Hara. May Flare be with you..."_ The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow at this, but before he could ask, the old man had already gone back to his convoy. The soldiers waved off the villagers as they left, shouting thanks and praises to the 'Green Army Men'. After the Coda village convoy disappeared from view, the Americans were left with a problem: What to do with the survivors?

Axe voiced his concerns. "I'd feel like shit if we left 'em. Won't be right, y'know?"

"But what do we do then? I doubt Major will let us just take these guys… will he?" Conrad asked Leo, who looked to O'Hara for an answer. The bearded man thought hard about the decision before sighing. He was never going to hear the end of this, but it has to be done.

"Radio base. We're heading back and we got refugees with us." The Recon Squad look relieved at the news as the officer continued. "If they give you a hard time, let them know I OK'd the order." The driver of one of the half-tracks nodded as he radioed Fort Gate. He informed them of the situation, which was met with yells and then a harsh sigh. It seems that the Fort was going to let the survivors in.

Upon hearing the good news, the survivors cheered. Some of them looked towards the severed dragon arm before them and prepared carving knives. The villagers looked to the soldiers, who simply shrugged.

"Those scales are practically useless to us. Won't do us any good just lugging them around. Take as much as you want." The villagers took them gratuitously, thanking the soldiers for letting them do so.

* * *

The ride back was a lively one, given the fact that about 50 or so refugees were singing and some being curious about the military equipment riding alongside them. Leo was in the back of jeep attempting to get some sleep when he heard someone call his name. Groaning, he opened one of his eyes as he saw Eric looking back at him.

"What do you want?" The man smiled as he answered.

"Just wanna know how you like this place." Leo was going to give a curt reply, but the question got him thinking. It had its odds and ends, but the world was a simple one. One he wouldn't mind living in once the war was over.

"It's… nice. I'd like to bring my sister here if I got the chance. I'd think she'd love it."

"Sister eh?" Frederick spoke up in the driver's seat. "Younger or older?" The man was secretly hoping for the latter. Leo rolled his eyes as he leaned back into his seat.

"Younger. And she's 6 years old, so no, she's not legal." Frederick laughed uncomfortably as he continued driving. Eric laughed as he looked back at the evening road.

"That's good though, you've got someone to fight for. I think everyone's got someone they wanna protect back home." He put his hands behind his head as he continued. "If you ain't fighting to protect someone you love… what're you even doing here? That's my motto. Reminds me of what my purpose is." The three men let the words sink in as they went down the road. Leo tried to go back to sleep, only for Eric to nudge him again.

"What?" The younger boy whined.

"What's your type of gal?" Leo narrowed his eyes at the two men in front as he sat up.

"The hell you on about?"

"Ah, you seem confused. Let your elders educate you then!" Frederick smiled smugly. "You see, a man always has a certain type of girl he has eyes for. Personally, I like girls who are devoted and loving, like an ideal housewife."

"I like the ones that can kick my ass," Eric added, much to spectacled man's amusement.

"You some sorta nympho or something?"

"Maybe? All I know is that those types of gals are the sweetest in private," He leaned closer to the middle of the jeep as he continued. "Plus, I heard they're pretty damn freaky in bed."

"JESUS WHAT THE FUCK?!" Leo backed away from the huddle as the older boys laughed at his expense. "I really didn't need to know that, okay?"

"Ah, to be young and innocent again. Glad I grew out of that!" More laughs came out of the men as Leo slumped back into his seat. "So then little Leo, what's your type? Don't worry about Eric here, your type doesn't have to be something sexual."

"Goddammit… and I suppose you guys won't let this up until I answer, huh?"

"Nope!"

"Fine… I guess… someone who can listen as well as being there for me?"

"You just described the purpose of a relationship, Leo"

"Shut up! I'm not good at this okay?!" This continued on for the rest of the drive, with the brunette being the constant center of teasing for the other two men.

* * *

Upon nightfall, the troops made their way back to the stronghold. The refugees made their way into the stronghold, looking upon it with awe as they were guided to the main grounds. The girls the team picked up were taken aback by the size of Fort Gate, especially Lelei. She was taking in everything, looking at the fortress with childlike wonder.

As for Rory, she stuck close to Grant, who tried to get as far away from the small girl as he could. Only for her to show up right next to him in a flash. He felt extremely uncomfortable around the girl, and upon being asked, it's no wonder why.

"That little bitch… She reeks of bloodlust. I can practically feel pure wrath from her. It's terrifying."

As for the elf from earlier, she was with Caroline, who was trying to get her to the infirmary for a closer check-up. The elf eventually told the woman her name, Tuka Luna Marceau. The girl looked around quickly a few times as she was carried to the medical wing.

O'Hara met with the Major, who looked extremely pissed. The grizzled soldier and the old major glared at each other before the older man began.

"Listen, First Lieutenant O'Hara. I understand why you brought these people back to us I really do. But… did you consider the fact that maybe they could be spies or guerilla fighters for this enemy we know jack-all about?!" He spat. O'Hara stood his ground, not moving as the man before he finished his tirade.

"Sir, with all due respect, I feel as if I made the right choice to help these people. Their livelihoods were stolen from them, and what kind of monsters would we be if we left them to die?" The Major went to argue, but O'Hara held up his hand. "Plus, if they were guerillas, they would've killed us while we were on the way back home. No, I believe we are dealing with displaced innocents. They don't deserve to be met with cruelty, but rather open arms. Don't you agree, Major Duncan?" The Major stayed quiet for a bit as he stared down the taller man. He let out a grumble as he turned away.

"Fine. I'll let Warner know about this new development. But next time, please let us know beforehand that you're doing these kinds of things, okay? I'd appreciate if we weren't caught with our pants down every time your team does something in the future."

"Hmph, I'll do my best then sir."

"Good. Now tell those refugees to prepare for dinner. Dismissed." With a salute, O'Hara left the older man. The man pinched the bridge of his nose as he went to the General's tent.

"All this paperwork's going to give me a headache… After this war, I'm retiring."

* * *

After some debate, General Warner allowed the villagers refuge in the fort. He authorized the construction of shelters for the displaced villagers as well as full care for them.

"They are civilians caught in the crossfire. As such, Recon Squad C did their job and got them out of harm's way. They'll stay with us until they can get back on their own two feet." Was his official statement on the matter. And so, the villagers would be in the care of the Americans until further notice, much to their relief.

The next thing on the agenda was the inquiry of the villagers. Concerning the value of the dragon scales, they wanted to trade it away somewhere. The wizard Cato el Altestan claimed to know a man who would pay a pretty penny for such commodities. He said the destination would be in Italica, wherever that was. After some questioning with the wizard, the army found out that the city was an important Empire trade city. This instantly got some gears turning in the higher-ups' heads. Such was the topic of the current war council.

"According to our friend Cato here, this city is a cornerstone for our Imperial enemies. So that means if we get this city under our control, we effectively cripple the empire." Warner announced.

"True, but the question is, who's to say if the city will be heavily fortified or not." Major Duncan responded. "The Empire may be headstrong, but they're not stupid. Such an important city has to be crawling with Imperials."

'Then that's where my team will come in," O'Hara interjected, his arms folded in contemplation. "Our task is to scout out areas as well as keep civilian casualties to a minimum right? Well then, seeing as how my team is the first team back from our scouting missions, I'd say send us back out for this. We can scout out the enemy and prepare an ambush if needed."

"That's a sound plan, _on paper_, First Lieutenant O'Hara. Who's to say they won't use magic to detect you? Your scout and ambush plan will crumble if they find you out." The grizzled man let a smirk be drawn upon his face, getting the other men in the war room to raise an eyebrow.

"Then we hit them with a night run." General Warner stroked his beard as he considered the other man's suggestion. It made sense if he was being honest. Given the past two battles with the Imperial Army, they didn't attempt any strikes at night for some reason. Getting information out of the prisoners would be nearly impossible, given their prideful nature. O'Hara continued as the rest of the room was contemplating his decision. "Given how close to the Romans these Saderans are, it's safe to assume they are equally as unprepared for night sieges as were the Romans.

"I remember reading in a book a few years back about the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. It described the decisive victory of the Germanic tribes against the Romans. According to the tome, the tribes led consecutive night raids against 3 Roman legions. They eventually wore down and took down the ancient army, resulting in a humiliating loss for the Empire."

"And what does this history lesson have to do with this scheme of yours?"

"You see, the Romans tried many defensive night tactics, all of which failed against the Germanic raiders. And due to how wars were waged back then, it is safe to assume that the Romans were not, or could ever have been, prepared for a night assault. Given that lesson, it would also apply to our Saderan fellows here. I doubt those Roman lookalikes would be ready for us if we hit them when they least expect it." O'Hara grinned as the other officers slowly realized the soundness of his plan. Even the skeptical Major ended up agreeing. Ultimately, it would come down to whether Warner approved of the plan or not. The man nodded as he faced the Lieutenant.

"This plan of yours better work, O'Hara. If things get dicey, radio us for backup. This mission starts in 3 days. With that being said… Godspeed, you crazy bastard."

* * *

The situation in the throne room was not one of victory, but one of discourse. The defeat of the Vassals was a calculated one by the Emperor, albeit controversial. The fall of the Vassal States was instrumental to assure no chance of an uprising in the near future. However, what brought the attention to the senators and the Emperor was the occupation of Alnus Hill. According to their spies, it seems the mysterious army has full control of Alnus Hill, and by extension, the Gate. An unprecedented turn of events.

"_Sire, we must act with haste! Those bastards have sullied our holy land with their barbarous structures!"_

"_Fool! Have you not seen what those monsters did to our army?! 60% of our main force is gone! Another foolish crusade onto the hill will be the end of our Empire!" _

"_And let them bastardize our holy grounds?! I'd say we'd rather die than let them disgrace Alnus like that!"_ The warmongering senators argued back-and-forth with those who see the fruitlessness of the war. The constant bickering in the council room got them nowhere, and it only made Molt even angrier.

"_ENOUGH!" _His voice boomed throughout the hall. The senators froze as they sat back down. _"We will not make another attempt onto Alnus. Let them keep the hill. We have to hold onto other important cities to win this war."_ The senator on the peace side smiled smugly at the army general, who glared back at him hatefully. _"And if all we're going to do is bicker here nonsensically, I see no point in continuing this council."_ Molt was about to get up when the throne room's doors were burst open. A messenger along with a red-haired woman entered the room. Molt smiled upon seeing the woman as he gestured for the messenger to speak.

"_Sire, I've come with dire news! Italica has been under siege since our defeat at Alnus! I suspect bandits are the cause of this." _The woman next to the meek man spoke up next.

"_And if I may father, I'd like to request that my Rose Order of Knights be sent to Italica to ward off this siege." _Molt sighed as he listened. Of course she would bring this up. The woman before him was none other than his daughter, Princess Piña Co Lada. She and her order have been trying to prove themselves ever since they were established. He thought hard about his decision here as he regarded her.

"_Piña… if you really think this mission will prove to me that your Order isn't just a plaything, then…"_

"_I can assure you my knights and I will make you proud! Just let us do this, please!"_ A general scoffed at this as he gave her a sidelong glance.

"_Bah, a child who thinks she's a general, outrageous. Know your place, woman."_

"_And I'd suggest you hold your tongue worm!"_ She shot back. Molt held a hand up to silence them as he made his decision.

"_I don't want to send you out there Piña, but if you truly believe you can solve our crisis in Italica… then I leave it up to you. Your Order is to leave as soon as you are ready. Make haste… and please be safe, my dear."_

"_I will father. And I will come back victorious."_

* * *

**3 Days Later…**

"So, we're leaving for this… Italica place when?" Conrad asked, flipping through his novel absentmindedly.

"Sometime soon. According to the Boss, we'll be getting there by nightfall." Leo replied, checking his handgun. "I understand why he wants us out so late, but man does it suck."

"Best to get some sleep before we head out then. Wouldn't want to deal with tired soldiers out there." Caroline said, packing her bag with first-aid supplies. "Would make my job a lot less hellish too." As the soldiers finished their equipment checks, O'Hara entered the prep room.

"Alright men, are you ready to move out?"

"Yes, sir!" Was the unanimous answer.

"Good. Now then, we're scouting out the city. If we're lucky, nothing bad happens and we waltz straight in. Realistically, we're to set up a midnight ambush onto the city. Worst case scenario is that we're surrounded. Unlikely, but be on your guard. Any questions?" The soldiers shook their heads. "Alright, let's move out."

The team loaded up in their scout convoy. Since the only people fighting here would be the scout team and a tank team, their vehicle line-up wasn't as stacked as the previous trip. The team was given an M3 Scout car, two jeeps, and the tank crew would be riding in an M4 Sherman. Enough manpower to counterattack should the scouts' position be compromised. The scout car would be used as the main team's carrier as two squad members would ride the jeeps. It was a sound plan and one that should go off without a hitch. Hopefully.

The team piled into the car as they went off, Axe and Caroline taking the jeeps and following close behind. The Sherman was guarding the back of the mini caravan as they rode off. Twilight was slowly encroaching as the team made their way towards Italica. Given their pace, they should reach the city in about 2 or 3 hours. So while they waited, some small talk wouldn't hurt.

"How are you guys holding up?" Conrad spoke up. "Personally, I wish I got some more shut-eye, but that's just me."

"I'm fine. Being prepared for anything is a part of a soldier's duty, after all." Grant replied. He lit a cigarette as he leaned back on the car's wall.

"Spoken like a true fighter. Speaking from experience Grant?" O'Hara chimed in as he drove the vehicle.

"You can say that. Fought in New Guinea for a while. Wanted me back here for some reason though." The older man blew out some smoke as he stared down the hills with a forlorn look. "I left some damn fine men back there. I hope they're doing fine…"

"Damn, and here I thought you were just some grumpy old man." Eric joked, making Grant roll his eyes.

"Cut him some slack. He can't help being a Scrooge." Leo chuckled, much to the man's chagrin. The laughter continued for a bit before subsiding, the team returning to idle chatter. Frederick then whispered over to O'Hara; worry etched on his face.

"Say, Boss… Something's off about that elf we took in."

"Who, Tuka? What makes you say that?"

"Well, according to Caroline, she's been a little… loopy. She asked for two bedrooms and two servings of meals. But she only uses one of each. It's weird as hell.

"I'm no expert on this, but you think she might be going through some sort of mourning ritual? I heard her call out for her father and believing he was there. Maybe that dragon attack hit her hard…" The two men continued to converse, the others in the back unaware of their conversation. Eric went to take a seat on a blanket mound, only for it to let out a yelp.

"Oh, my bad." He said absentmindedly as he got up. The man then jerked around as he unholstered his pistol, aiming it at the talking mound. "What the fuck?! Who's under there?!" He slowly got closer, with the rest of the team aiming their weapons at it. Eric grabbed the sheet swung it off in one fluid motion. Underneath it was two girls, Lelei and Tuka, the latter of whom sheepishly waved at the soldier.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, you two snuck aboard the car so you can… trade your scales?" Grant interrogated the girls, who were looking shamefully at the floor of the truck. The soldiers holstered their weapons as the older man drilled into the two girls. Lelei was the first to talk.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Grant. Tuka wanted to get to Italica early. I tried to stop her, but by the time I caught up with her, we had to hide because everyone was coming." Lelei held her staff shamefully as Tuka's ears drooped.

"I am sorry…" The elf mumbled. Grant sighed as the rest of the team looked around awkwardly. It felt bad giving them a scolding since they didn't know any better. Grant contemplated on what to do with the extra passengers. He squatted down to talk with O'Hara instead.

"So… what do we do?"

"It's too late to send them back. Bring them along, but make sure they stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Roger." He turned around, only to be met with another revelation as the rest of Recon Squad C looked on in shock. Rory Mercury had landed in their vehicle, as curious as ever. "You've got to be fucking kidding me…"

"Hello, friends! I spoke with the General and he explained everything! As such, I have decided to accompany you on your journey!"

"At least she's speaking English now…" Leo muttered under his breath. "Did you even let him know you were tagging along?"

"I'm sure he will be fine not knowing. Besides, an Apostle can do as she pleases, no?"

"Apostle? Like, one of those religious things?" Eric spoke up. "I'll be honest, didn't expect to see one."

"Yeah… explain to us what exactly you are, Rory Mercury." Grant said, his steely gaze not once leaving the small girl. She returned the glare with a playful stare as she waved around her massive halberd as if it were nothing.

"Fine, if you must know, I shall explain. I am the Apostle of the God Emroy. Emroy is the God of Darkness, War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. As his Apostle, I carry out his word to Falmart. I simply act as his eyes and ears, and in return, I become a demi-god. It's a nice life if I'm being honest." The small woman giggled to herself as the older soldier continued his glare.

"A demi-god? So what does that entail?"

"I have been granted strength that far surpasses a normal human. We also receive speed and durability that exceeds anything a human can achieve, as well as a high healing factor. Simply put, we cannot die." Rory added the last part with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Grant's face went stony as he stood before her. Suddenly he pulled out his M1911 and without warning, shot her dead in her forehead, causing the soldiers to jump and the other two girls to flinch due to the sound. Rory fell back and hit the floor of the truck.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Leo cried out. Grant lit another cigarette as he put away his pistol.

"Finding out if she was full of hot air or not. If she was lying-"

"Then I wouldn't get up, is what you want to say, correct?" Rory's voice spooked the men in the car as they turned to look at the Victorian girl, who was slowly getting up. The hole in her forehead had already been closed up. "Now, I can understand why you did it, but please let me know next time you blast a hole in my head. It's awfully annoying to deal with that."

"H-h-holy shit… Holy shit, she's fucking immortal!" Conrad exclaimed as he huddled towards a corner of the car.

"What the hell's going on up there?!" O'Hara's voice rang out.

"Nothing Cap. Just getting some questions answered." Grant said coolly. He looked back at Rory, who was still giving him a playful look. "Anyways, you said 'we' when you were talking about Apostles."

"Wait a damn minute! You can't just go back to that conversation after blowing a hole in her fucking head!" Frederick piped up from the passenger seat.

"Quiet specs. Now tell me, does this mean there's more of you?"

"Yes indeed." Rory hummed. "12 Gods to be exact. And with them, 12 Apostles. Or rather, 11 Apostles. As you know, I am the Apostle of Emroy."

"The God of Learning, La, is my patron God. It's how I have La in my name, to show reverence to him." Lelei added. "Along with him is his twin sister Elange, the Goddess of Knowledge. As for their apostles, I hear they work at the Empire's highest University."

"Some important ones include the God of Revenge, Palapon, The Supreme God and the God of the Sun, Flare, and the Goddess of the Underworld… Hardy." Rory shuddered at the last one's name. Bad memories maybe? Before Grant could press any further, Frederick's voice called out.

"As much as you want to continue this interrogation session, Italica's just up ahead. Get ready for landing boys." Grant looked back at Rory for a few more seconds before letting out a grunt.

"We'll continue later. I got a job to do." He said as the truck stopped. He hopped out of the truck and went into a jeep. The other soldiers followed suit as they got into their teams. Jeep 1 would hold Axe, Grant, and Conrad. Jeep 2 would have Caroline, Eric, and Leo. O'Hara and Frederick would stay on standby in the scout car, just in case anything happens. Lelei and Tuka would stay with them as the teams went into the city. Rory initially stayed with the captain, but she couldn't help herself and dashed off to Jeep 1, much to the captain's ire.

The men (and Rory) made their way to the edges of the city, just shy of the city's walls. The teams made rounds around the walls, scouting out the enemy's positions. To their surprise, only some civilians with weapons and a very small handful of knights were walking atop the city walls.

"Strange, I've never seen Italica so undermanned before. I fear something may have happened here." The demigoddess uncharacteristically muttered. The jeep teams converged to one position as they radioed the M3.

"Jeep 2 to Scout, something's not right here," Caroline said. "The city's undermanned right now. I feel like if we attacked, either it will be an easy siege… or a gruesome trap."

"That's… unsettling." Frederick's voiced crackled over the radio. "Hmm… you sure Boss? …If you say so, but I'm blaming you if anything goes south." The teams raised an eyebrow as Frederick's voice sparked again. "Alright… We're going into the city Boss says. He says this situation may be in our favor. Just come back for now." The teams shrugged as they wheeled back to the main car.

"The plan is a simple one. We get in contact with the city and make them not see us as threats. I doubt they know our faces, and if they do and try to attack you, do not hesitate to gun them down." O'Hara explained. "Collins. You and Gar will be accompanying the girls to the city. I doubt they will consider natives threats to them. They need to trade here anyways, so it's best to let them get that out of the way too."

"Understandable. I'm guessin' you stayin' here to give us orders?" Axe asked, slipping on an SCR-300 backpack.

"Yeah. Use that radio and let us know if anything happens. Second Lieutenant Collins here will go in my stead for diplomatic concerns about the city. I can trust you to do this kid?" He turned to Leo, who gave an affirmative salute.

"Yes, sir! I won't let you down!"

"Good. Now get to it."

* * *

The girls went up ahead as Axe and Leo trailed a little behind. They glanced up at the walls, with some defenders sleeping while some weren't even looking at them. As they got closer, Leo gulped. Axe noticed this as he looked over to the younger boy.

"You good?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just make sure the girls don't get in trouble."

"I'm the eldest in my family of 5, I know a lyin' teen when I see one. What's up?"

"I guess… I'm afraid, I think. It's strange, fighting the enemy doesn't scare me too much, but trying to get in their good graces by talking? Now that's scary. One wrong word and you mess up the entire deal."

"Yeah, I getcha. Must be hard to deal with that. But chief wouldn't have put ya up to this if he didn't think you was up to it, y'know? I believe in ya, Lil' Boss."

"Heheh, you think so?" The older boy gave a confident grin as Leo chuckled. "And what's with this Lil' Boss business?"

"Well, since O'Hara's the Boss, it's only right to call you Lil' Boss. Makes sense too, a 16-year-old in second-in-command. Plus, it's kinda catchy."

"I guess?"

"Also some advice. Whenever you goin' to say something important, take one big deep breath. Think, then say what'cha want after you finish thinkin'. Stopped me from sayin' stupid shit in the past and helped me say things I wanted to as well."

"Wow… thanks, Axe. I appreciate it."

"Anytime pal! Now then, let's butter up these folks. And if things go south, we go out guns blazin'!"

"Well, I hope things don't turn out like that…" The group reached the entrance of the city's main gate. Axe glanced up and saw that some guards were awake and in a state of uncertainty. Particularly, they were looking at Rory with a certain interest and fear.

'Maybe she's the reason we're not full of arrows yet?' He thought to himself. Some time passed after the tense stare-down between the group and the defenders. Leo steeled himself as he knocked thrice onto the wooden door. No response. A few minutes later, and still no response. The boy shook his head as he looked back at his group.

"I don't think they're home. Maybe they're too scared to come ou- OOF!" The door swung open violently as a young woman opened it, looking extremely nervous even with a smile on her face.

"_Welcome, Oh Great Rory Mercury and her acquaintances! I'm so glad you have joined us!"_ The redhead looked at the group with curiosity as she noticed their blank stares. _"Did I do something wrong?"_ She stared down to where a man in green was pointing and she gasped in shock. Another boy in green was knocked out on the ground, looking completely dazed.

"_Oh… Oh, dear Flame help us…"_

* * *

**2 Days Earlier…**

The local tavern was bustling, even late into the night. As such, no one really noticed 3 hooded figures slip into the crowd. The ringed up a waitress who took their orders giddily. One of the hooded figures spoke up first.

"_What has you in such a joyous mood?"_ It asked, a female voice sounding out from underneath it.

"_Oh, something wondrous happened to me yesterday! I can tell, but I'll need a little… persuasion?"_ The woman smirked as she made a coin gesture with her fingers. A sigh from underneath the larger hooded figure sounded as it clinked out a small sum of gold coins. The waitress snatched them up as she giggled. _"Thank you kindly! Now then, where do I begin? Ah yes, it all began with me and my family leaving Coda Village. A Flame Dragon had been seen in the area, so we had to leave quickly."_

"_Impossible, the dragon shouldn't have been awake for many years later."_ The smaller hooded figure exclaimed, its voice sounding girlish.

"_Yes, it was strange to us too, but what could we do? Well you see, these strange men in green came to our village. A young man came up to my son and get this, taught him how to play this strange sport called baseball! It was the most fun my boy had in a while! He had a pretty nice swing too! But I'm getting carried away, aren't I? Anyways, these men in green had offered to help us leave the village after hearing our situation. We all had our fair share of troubles, such as my family. My cart broke down, and then 4 of these strange soldiers came and manually moved the cart as if it was nothing! Such strength…_

"_Next thing that happened was a doozy though! First, we met with Rory Mercury herself, then we ran into the Flame Dragon. We thought we were done for until the Green Army Men started to get the beast on the defensive. Their weird staffs flashed and the Dragon kept roaring. Suddenly, one of them brought an iron elephant as it blew something out its trunk. Some smoke later, and the Dragon was sent running, with its arm blown off! Isn't that crazy?" _

"_I don't believe this. First Rory Mercury, the Apostle of Emroy, then the Flame Dragon being crippled? All due to the actions of these Green Army Men?"_ The smaller figure scoffed.

"_Call me crazy all you want, but the people of Coda and I know what we saw. And we're forever grateful for these men."_ The waitress walked away to take orders for another table while the 3 hooded figures sat in contemplation of these events.

"_My princess, as much as I want to refute this claim… it seems to hold merit. If these are the same men that took us down at Alnus Hill…"_ The larger one uttered.

"_I know Gray. We'll be severely outmatched. Luckily, our Italica situation is simply bandits. We should be done with them quickly. Hamilton, what do you think of this?"_

"_M-me?"_ The smaller hooded figure jumped_. "Well… I think we should be fine. As you said, they're just bandits. And concerning the men in green, they can't best us in combat… can they Piña?"_

"_I hope not. Or else we'll be horribly outclassed here. This is surely an interesting turn of events though… Let's get some shut-eye before we head towards Italica, okay?"_ The other two nodded as the Princess slumped in her seat. She couldn't wait for the rest of her Order to catch up and help her.

* * *

**15 minutes before the present…**

Piña held her head in her hands as she sat on the bed she was given by the countess. She and her Order were given housing in the Countess's mansion as they defended the city. And the constant battling was getting to the princess. The bandits kept pushing at her, and it wouldn't be long until they launched another invasion. Most likely to be stronger than before. She sighed as she thought about everything that's been happening so far. A knock on the door tore her away from her thoughts as she responded.

"_Who is it?"_

"_Persia, milady."_

"_Ah, come in."_ A maid entered the room, bowing to the princess. The woman had hair as black as night, but the most striking thing was her animal-like features. She has ears akin to a panther's on her head as well as a panther's tail. _"What is the matter, Persia?"_

"_Some strange people have appeared in front of the main gate milady. What shall we do?"_

Hearing the term 'strange people' froze up the redhead, but she shook it off, feigning bravery. _"I-I'll parley with them. If they aren't bandits, we should have no problem, right?"_

"_As you wish milady."_ The maid and Piña left the room as they made their way to the front gate. Hamilton and Gray were looking uncertain at the sight of the 5 people approaching the gate. The front was a sorcerer, an elf in some strange clothes, and…

"_Is that Rory Mercury?!"_

"_What is the Apostle of Emroy doing here?!"_

"_We're going to die!"_

"_QUIET!" _Piña's voice boomed, silencing the panicking warriors. She too was terrified by the prospect of Rory being on the enemy's side but showing her fear would weaken her forces. So she had to be brave, if not for herself, for her men. _"I don't know who those two men in green are with those girls, but I assume all of them are friendly with our Apostle friend here. So we should treat them with respect, lest Rory lashes out on us."_

"_I hope you know what you're doing, Piña…"_

"_Trust me, Hamilton…"_ _'I don't have a clue on what I'm to do here.'_ Piña gulped as she gripped onto the door's handle with immense fear. One slip-up here could spell the burning of Italica to the ground. A scene she'd rather not deal with. Piña steeled herself as she flung the door open with confidence.

"_Welcome, Oh Great Rory Mercury and her acquaintances! I'm so glad you have joined us!"_ The redhead looked at the group with curiosity as she noticed their blank stares. _"Did I do something wrong?"_ She stared down to where a man in green was pointing and she gasped in shock. Another boy in green was knocked out on the ground, looking completely dazed.

"_Oh… Oh, dear Flame help us…"_

* * *

The knocked out Second Lieutenant was brought into the city's walls, carried by Axe and Tuka. Lelei worked on getting him back up by using light water spells on his unconscious form with Rory looking upon the scene with glee.

_"Honestly! You should be ashamed of yourself! Did you really not expect someone to be by the door?! Did you not hear his knocks?"_ Tuka yelled at the redhead, who looked at the scene in embarrassment. Axe turned to Tuka as he held out a corded phone to her.

"_Hey, grab the phone and contact the scout car. Frequency should be set to them already, so all you gotta do is pick it up." _The girl nodded as she grabbed the phone and pressed it up to her ear.

"_H-hello? Um… Recon Team to Scout?"_ She looked towards Axe, who gave her a thumbs up as she continued. _"We may have run into a little snag…"_

"_Tuka? Why are you responding?" _O'Hara's voice spoke out the phone. _"Never mind that, what's going on?"_

"_Well you see, me talking IS the problem. Leo got knocked out."_

"_What?! Shit, we're coming over, don't move!"_

"_W-w-wait, father ple-"_ The girl sighed as the radio was left with static. She hung the phone back up as Axe looked at her quizzically. _"Looks like the rest of the team is coming."_

"_That's understandable. Also, why'd you call Boss 'father'?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Yeah, you called him father before he hung up. What's up with that?"_

"_Y-you must be hearing things… Oh, would you look at that! Leo's awake!"_ Axe turned to look at his fallen friend who slowly blinked awake. He found himself staring at Lelei, who stopped casting spells.

"It seems you're finally awake now. Good, we have a slight situation on our hands."

"What in the...?" Leo quickly sat up, knocking his head into the bluenette's own. "Yow! Sorry about that…" He and Lelei rubbed their foreheads after the small collision. She patted his shoulder once he got back up and pointed ahead.

Leo's eyes adjusted to the scene before him, which was Axe looking at him with a smile as Tuka laughed nervously. Rory was smirking mischievously as she stood off to the side. And the person before him seemed to be the most in shock. She wore some pretty regal-looking armor and had pure red hair.

"_I am… so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you out like that! I swear it was an accident and-" _The redhead went on a tangent of apologies, which took Leo for a spin. He turned to Lelei sheepishly as the woman kept going off.

"H-hey… can you tell her I can't speak Latin?" The bluenette sighed as she got up, a bored expression on her face.

"_Excuse me, Princess Piña?" _The princess kept talking, seemingly ignoring the smaller girl. _"Princess…?" _Still going it seems. Leo's patience wore out as he snapped.

"HEY, BITCH!" The sudden outburst caught everyone off-guard and doing its job in stopping the princess. "My friend's been trying to talk to you, the least you can do is answer!" Axe covered his mouth as he turned to the side, stifling a laugh from bursting through. Lelei looked back at the boy with a blank look on her face, much to his confusion. "What? She wouldn't let you talk and we're running on a schedule."

She sighed as she spoke again. _"My friend here says he can't speak Saderan. I'll be the translate for him as we discuss."_

"_O-okay… Apologies aside, what is your business here?"_ Piña asked. After passing the message to the boy, he spoke in a strange tongue. The girl nodded as she translated.

"_We're here for diplomatic reasons. We have reason to suspect something has happened to this city, and our job is now to find out why that is. My being here is to trade, but it seems something else has happened."_

"_You can say that… bandits have been showing up as of late. I fear that they have been sprouting up as of late due to the Empire's defeat at Alnus. Now as for-"_ The sound of the door being bashed in cut her off as more men in green pooled in.

"GAR, COLLINS! What's our status report?!" O'Hara barked, aiming an M1 Carbine at the knights before him. The other Recon Squad C members aimed their weapons in preparation for combat.

"_Insolent curs! What is the meaning of this?!"_ Gray growled as he and Hamilton pulled out their swords in defense. The two sides glared down at each other, but before anything spiralled out of control, Tuka ran between them and held out her arms.

"W-Wait! Misunderstand this! Put down weapon!" She cried out in broken English, waving her arms around desperately. O'Hara gave the elf a quizzical look as he lowered his carbine.

"What are you talking about Tuka? You said that Collins was knocked down, wasn't he?" The boy in question gave a small wave at the older man, with Axe smiling nervously.

"H-hey Boss didn't expect y'all to come so fast…" The older man sighed as he signalled for the team to lower their weapons.

"Alright, I need someone to do some explaining here."

"_Uhh… I can see things are really tense here… Should we continue this back at the Countess's Mansion?"_ O'Hara turned to the redhead upon hearing her suggestion.

"_There's a Countess for this city? Is she in charge?"_

"_Er, yes and no. I'll explain everything once we get inside."_

* * *

The men kept their strange weapons lowered as they followed her into the heart of the city. As they walked through the streets, the soldiers were met with battered and even dead city defenders lying in makeshift medical tents. The situation here must be dire for such a thing to be happening was the general consensus. Eventually, the party reached the mansion, an elegant looking place fit for a lord. Piña knocked a few times and a maid opened the door.

"_Welcome back milady. And who are those accompanying you?"_

"_Men who need to see the Countess. It's for diplomatic reasons they claim."_

"_As you wish. Come in!"_ The maid opened the door wide, allowing the party to enter. Her cat tail wagged slightly, getting Conrad's attention almost immediately.

"Psst! Freddie!" He whispered to the man. "That chick looks like a puma! Ain't that weird?" The woman in question merely smiled as she saw the two men look back at her. Frederick turned forward as he let out a little shudder.

"Jesus, it's like I'm staring at a panther. I agree with you man, shit's freaky as hell." The man scratched his cheek wistfully as he looked off to the side. "And sorta hot…"

"What?"

"What? I didn't say nothing." The younger boy shrugged as they made their way upstairs. Piña held onto the door's handle tensely, as if she was dreading what was behind it.

"_Hey, what's wrong? Why aren't we heading in?"_ O'Hara asked, noticing the woman's worry.

"_Italica has been ruled by Clan Formal for years now. The previous head of the state perished in the Battle of Alnus Hill. He has 3 daughters, and the two eldest ones have been married off already to different families." _O'Hara didn't like the way this story was going but allowed the princess to continue. _"The youngest daughter is the current heir due to this, and her sisters constantly fight for guardianship. But as it stands right now, Myui Formal is Italica's current Countess."_ She took a huge gulp as she opened the door.

Sitting by a table was a girl who looked no older than 13, who greeted the visitors with a slight nod. She had long, blonde hair and wore a regal outfit. Her face, although young, spoke of unsaid authority. But beneath her eyes laid uncertainty, as one would expect from a child.

"I believe the Countess turns 11 this year if I'm not mistaken." Lelei said, making the soldiers uneasy.

"Jesus Christ… such a young girl in charge of a city…" Caroline muttered. "T-this has to joke, right? Right?!" She pleaded with Lelei, who sadly shook her head. "Shit! What the hell is this mess?!"

"I understand your worries Corporal Innes but focus on the task at hand. We came here for reason." He turned to the Countess and bowed. _"I am First Lieutenant Jonah O'Hara, coming on the behalf of the U.S army." _

"_You-Ess?"_ The small girl mimed the foreign word. _"I never heard of a nation like that."_

"_It's because we're from beyond the Gate." _The sudden revelation got Princess Piña and her knights to go into a defensive stance by Myui's side, but she held a hand outwards, making them stand down.

"_Princess, if they wanted to harm us, we would've been killed already. We must listen to what they say before anything. We are not barbarians, are we?" _The knights reluctantly agreed as they stood back to the side. _"So, Mr. O'Hara was it? What have you come here to discuss?"_

"_We came here upon seeing the undermanned state of the city. During wartime, such a state for an important city such as this is unheard of."_

"_I see… If you must know, our city has recently been under siege by bandits. The problem has never been this bad, however. Before the war, bandits would never come here, in fear of being run down by our Imperial guards. But after the defeat of Alnus, things changed. The soldiers sent to fight never returned, and the bandits not only starting leading onslaughts against the city but were more coordinated too._

"_I have the sinking feeling that the bandits attacking us are the remains of the Imperial Army. Those who fled decided to turn to a life of crime, terrorizing us as they see fit. It would only be a matter of time before our city is overrun and looted. I fear for my people, but I am powerless to do anything about it."_ Myui clutched onto the hems of her dress as she looked down somberly. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, the pressure of the situation getting through to her. Conrad looked down in guilt as he thought about the events she described.

'This is our fault, isn't it…? If we hadn't gone through the Gate, their city wouldn't have been destroyed… She wouldn't have been fatherless…' He bit his lip and tried to refocus himself. 'No, don't let this get to you Conrad! Remember what they did to us! What we gotta do! What I have to do…' The other soldiers remained silent as they watched O'Hara carefully. He leaned forward in his seat across from the countess and cupped her cheek with his hand, wiping away a tear that fell from it.

"_Hey, listen to me kid. You shouldn't be put through this kind of thing. No child should. War is hell, and we all know it. But that doesn't mean you have to shoulder this weight alone."_ The soldiers looked at their commander curiously, wondering what he meant. The man ruffled the girl's head before getting up, addressing his team. "Men! We're aiding the defenders to save Italica. Gar, radio the tank team to haul their asses in here. We got a city to save."

The soldiers gave a salute as the commander explained his intentions to the countess and the princess, who looked at him incredulously.

"_Then, if you will, after helping us save the city, please leave its premises. After finishing your business that it."_ Piña declared. Hopefully, if everything goes well, this reversal of fort-

"_No."_ The princess was sent into a state of shock as the smug grin on the grizzled soldier's face spread.

"_W-what?!"_

"_You heard me, girl. I said no. My intentions for this city were to initially capture it and claim it for the United States of America. But given our situation, we need this city standing. I'm well aware of its value to your empire, but given that we are at war, we will be taking this city for ourselves. After liberating Italica, it shall go under Allied control. No ands, ifs, or buts. Ultimately, however, this decision goes to our little lady over here, not you, Princess."_ The man added the last part with a hint of venom. The female knight by Piña's side glared at the man with murderous intent.

"_You dare threaten milady?! I should cut you down where you stand!" _

"_Then Italica burns to the ground. And you don't want that, do you?"_

"_Why you-"_

"_I accept." _Myui's voice called out, receiving a shocked look from the Imperial Knights and a victorious grin from O'Hara. _"Given our situation, we have no choice but to enlist the help of these men. Even if it means giving up the city… I'd rather do that than let the bandits have their way with it."_

"_But Countess! Who's to say these Green Army Men won't ransack the city themselves?!"_

"_Ah, you're worried about that?"_ The man interjected. _"Let's make a deal then. I promise that our army won't harm your city or its people, and you promise to give us full control of Italica. And we Americans like to keep our promises, always."_ He sent a sidelong glance to Piña, who gulped, as he extended a hand towards the Countess. She looked at the hand for a bit before looking back at the bearded man.

"_And you promise the safety of our people and city?"_

"_Of course. We will go above and beyond to protect these people."_

"_Then… we have a deal."_ The girl took the man's hand and they shook it, much to the Imperial's horror. But they couldn't do anything here anymore, they had no choice but to follow these men's orders. They can only hope they won't betray them at the last second.

"Well then men, fortify the walls. We're getting ready for battle."

**And scene! So I'll be honest here: I have not read Gate at all. I just really like the stories about it since the concept is interesting as hell. As for the story itself, the canon will split after the Italica crisis. Many different factors will come to play soon, some of which I'm very eager to share. And as to why Grant is so hostile towards Rory, he's extremely scared of her. A being that is extremely strong and immortal would terrify any soldier. Coupled with a ruthlessness that reminds him of the Japanese in New Guinea, and it's no wonder why he's afraid of her. I'm trying my best to juggle these characters, and hopefully, I can do a decent job with them. Reviews are always appreciated and I'm trying to improve every chapter.**

**Next Chapter: Going Out Fighting**


	3. Going Out Fighting

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been updating as of late. I'll explain everything at the end, but for right now, enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 3: Going Out Fighting**

According to Princess Piña, the raiders would be coming anytime soon. They have been constantly attacking, with today being the one day with no attack. This led the princess to believe they'll attempt a night raid. The current occupants of the improvised war room are Princess Piña, O'Hara, Leo, and his translator Lelei. And right now, the room was currently in a state of deliberation.

"_As you see here, the bandits struck at our Southern Gate here." _Princess Piña said, pointing to a mock-up version of the city's gate on a map. _"Being that they damaged our South Gate, it would be wise to fortify our defenses there. I'll send a bulk of my soldiers there, while the rest will guard the other two."_ O'Hara held a steely gaze at the map, stroking his beard in contemplation.

"Y-you can't be serious, right?" Leo asked incredulously. Piña tilted her head in confusion at his outburst.

"_What's wrong with my plan? It's foolproof!"_

"_You're severely undermining our opponent's ability to think, Princess." _O'Hara sighed out. _"This just proves to me you're an inexperienced runt. Scratch that, that's an insult to Leo here."_

"Hey! Just cause I don't know much Latin doesn't mean I don't know it at all!" O'Hara chuckled at his subordinate's expense, which made the boy fumed. He quickly calmed down to focus on the situation. "But this plan is really dumb. It's a really terrible one, y'know?"

"Why is that?" Lelei asked.

"Look at it this way: You just sent a full assault on a gate and didn't push through. Sure the gate's all fucked up, but it's still standing. That means more defenders next time. So the obvious thing is to attack an unguarded area to blindside the enemy."

"Oh. That… makes a lot of sense actually."

"Yeah, and thus this plan can't go through. For more reasons than that." O'Hara said, shooting a harsh glare at the princess. She froze upon seeing his strong gaze upon her. _"The plan says for my team to defend one of the low priority gates. I saw through this the moment you brought up this plan. Have the bandits fight us at the undermanned gate, resulting in our deaths and the deaths of many bandits. All the while you and your troops don't have to deal with us, isn't that right?"_ Piña gulped hard, O'Hara's stare never leaving her.

'_Shit! How did he know that?!' _

"You know, I'm getting the feeling you Imperials really like underestimating folks," Leo said, getting Piña's ire upon being translated. "If this is how conceited you can get, I fear to see the amount of arrogance your father or even any siblings of yours have." The princess looked like she wanted to strangle the boy when his words were translated again. She felt like even lashing out at the blue haired girl too, who gave a light chuckle at his remark after translating.

"As much as I enjoy seeing this brat get humbled, we have to make a proper plan for this fight." The bearded man pointed to the east and west gates, catching Piña's attention. _"We fortify these two positions. And we leave the Southern gate slightly undermanned. The enemy would attempt to push these gates harder due to the failed offensive on the Southside. The South gate being undermanned will make the bandits suspicious. A smart man will assume there's a trap lying in wait and won't push it hard. And if they do, they'll spring said trap."_ Leo noticed the glint in O'Hara's eyes as a smile crept across the older man's face. When Lelei translated the last bit for him, he instantly understood what he was implying.

"Holy shit, you don't mean-"

"Yep. We're deploying the Sherman onto that area. No amount of medieval weaponry is going to pierce the hide of the M4."

"You're actually Satan aren't you, Boss?" Leo laughed out. "That's so evil, I like the sound of it."

"I'm not too worried about this operation either. Also… Lelei, be a dear and don't translate this last bit for our little princess here okay?" O'Hara smiled at the girl, who gave him a thumbs up. With that given, the older man grinned at his junior. "I radioed the main base. They're sending in the Hellcat crew along with some Joes in Jeeps."

"Well, that's good news. Was hoping we'd get some air support, but given the situation, I doubt they'd sent 'em."

"So are you going to be undermanned for this battle?" Lelei asked.

"Who said that? That amount of firepower, coupled with the supplies we stored here will be more than enough to fend off the invasion. The odds are in our favor right now."

* * *

The new strategy for the defense were fortified side gates and a rigged south gate. The soldiers and defenders went to their positions, and as such Recon Squad C was split up in 2 teams. East Side defense was Grant, Caroline, Frederick, and Leo as the leader. West Side would have Axe, Eric, Conrad, and O'Hara as the leader. The teams worked on setting up their positions, working with materials granted by the countess. The West team were able to set up their defenses quickly due to the aid of the civilian defenders. The East team was a different story, however.

"This is going to kill me…" Frederick groaned out as the team and some defenders were setting up their trench. The current situation was that most of the defenders were giving a stink-eye to the Americans, much to their annoyance. And as such, they refused to help the soldiers. Only some decided to help, whether it was out of kindness or being forced to, they couldn't tell. "These bastards better start pitching in soon."

"I understand, but please try not to shoot these guys," Caroline grunted out, finishing up a part of the trench. "They don't know any better, plus I really don't want to deal with them either." A rock flew towards them and it bounced off her helmet. An Italican citizen was spouting curses at them as he picked up more rocks.

"_Get out of here, you damn barbarians!"_ The woman had to resist the urge to pull out her pistol to shoot the man right then and there.

"When will this be over…?"

"About… now, I think." Leo said, wiping some sweat off his brow. He and Grant were finally done with their part of the fortifications. The gunner trench was complete, giving the soldiers some breathing room. "That took longer than expected… Wish those guys could've helped a bit more though."

"Don't count on it kid," Grant huffed out. "We're out in enemy territory. Did you really expect them to be all buddy-buddy with us just because we said we'll save the city?" Leo stared at the ground dejectedly, unable to find a good answer. "That's what I thought. Pick your chin up and focus on the fight ahead." The older man walked off towards the end of the fortifications, keeping an eye out.

"Y-yeah, sure." Frederick noticed Leo's hands were shaking a bit, but the boy took a deep breath, calming himself a bit. He decided to talk to him while they still had time.

"Hey Leo, you okay?" The boy jumped a bit, not noticing the older boy next to him. He reigned himself in as he nodded.

"I think so."

"You think so?"

"Well… I don't really think I'm ready to lead here. The reason why I'm in charge is that I got lucky with the Manhattan Incident. I still feel like I'm still an Officer Cadet." He rested his chin in his hands, taking a seat on a crate nearby. "I think Grant has more experience than me here. He knows how to fight, hell he fought in the Pacific! But for me? I dunno, all I did was get some civilians to safety and yell at some cops." He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back.

"Well, can't say I know how you feel… but you didn't get this position for no reason, y'know?" Frederick said, taking a seat next to the boy. "I sure as hell couldn't reign in that many people. Plus, Boss is the one calling the shots all the time, not you. This little op here might be a test then. To see if you're really ready to lead. And in my opinion, you're doing a nice job so far." Leo cocked his head quizzically as Frederick continued. "The Coda Evacuation? You did a pretty good job there. You took charge when Boss couldn't attend to it. Plus you were able to establish important relations just as well as Boss, so that's a plus.

"The way I'm seeing it… you're selling yourself too short. I want to look up to someone who's confident. That'll give me the confidence I need to slog on. So if Boss can do it, who's to say you can't too!" The grin that stretched on the man's face infected Leo, who let out a small laugh.

"You know, when you say it like, it sounds easy," Leo got up and smiled back at his friend. "Thanks… I think that's what I needed to hear."

"Hey, no problem man! Listen, you got any problem, come to me or Eric, we've been your age once too, y'know?" Frederick chuckled as he looked out at the hills. He saw something kicking up in the distance, so he got out his binoculars to see what it was. "What in the… Holy shit, RORY?!"

Caroline spun around in surprise. "What the hell?! Wasn't she over at the West Gate with O'Hara?"

"Well she's speeding down the hill over here, the fuck do we do?!" The radio behind them crackled to life as O'Hara's voice buzzed through.

"East Team, do you read me?" The medic hastily grabbed the phone end as she picked up.

"A-affirmative. Hey Boss, why the hell is Rory charging towards us?"

"Yeah, I was going to bring that up. I sent her over to your side due to her… tendencies… Look, don't let her out of your sights when she gets there. Over and Out." The radio cut off before Caroline could respond back.

"…Well shit."

"So don't let her out of our sights? How hard could that be?" Leo said offhandedly. Grant, however, leaned against a wooden beam with a darkened expression on his face. "Er… You okay, Grant?"

"He just sent a war machine over to us for some reason, no I'm perfectly fine!" A false smiled crept on his lips, prompting Leo to let out a nervous chuckle. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew some cloth around as Rory Mercury made her presence known.

"Greetings, my friends! It seems your commander has wisely placed me here." She giggled as she watched the Italicans drop to their knees in reverence. The Americans were staring dumbfounded at the small girl before them, except for Grant, who kept a steady glare. Rory took notice of this and smiled deviously at him. "Hello again, Grant. Care to blast a hole in my head again with that strange hunk of metal again?"

"As much as I really want to… we have more pressing matters to get to." He grumbled out, folding his arms over his chest in annoyance. Leo took this as his cue to begin.

"So uh, why did you come here?"

"Simple really, darling," Leo cringed a bit at the term, given Rory's small stature. She didn't notice as she continued on. "You see, Emroy is the God of Death, and as such, the souls of men flow through me as well. And given how much the West Gate would be battling, O'Hara asked me to go here instead."

"But if you basically the Grim Reaper, why aren't you where most of the fighting's going to be?" Frederick asked this time, which elated a smirk from the small woman. She waved her massive halberd as moonlight danced on its blade when she spoke.

"Because the amounts of souls I reap would send me into a frenzy, unable to stop till every last man is dead." The chilling words sent shivers downs the Americans spines as they instinctively reached for their guns. The Italican defenders, although they could not understand what was said, understood what Rory meant. They backed away slowly, knowing full well about Rory's rampages. The girl stared back at the fear-filled expressions of the soldiers before her before laughing, causing them to lower their weapons.

"That shit ain't funny Rory!" Frederick cried as he holstered his rifle.

"Jesus, that's horrifying…" Caroline sighed out. She snapped at the frozen Leo, getting him back down to Earth. "Hey, she was kidding. Don't fret over it."

"Oh? Who said I was kidding?" Rory added, causing Leo to gulp. "I meant it. The fighting here will be hard, but it won't be as brutal as it would over in the West Gate. So don't expect me to rampage anytime soon." And with that, Rory took a seat on the fort's wall and hummed mindlessly, her halberd waving in anticipation of battle. The demigoddess spooked the American soldiers, who stood around feeling a bit uneasy. None more so than Grant, who kept a steely gaze on the priestess.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, you damn witch…" He growled to himself. A playful gaze met him as he muttered a curse underneath his breath.

* * *

The bandit camp was lively in the dark of the night. The former legionnaires were readying their weapons to siege Italica. The current war council was in order with former officers of Sadera pointing out their plan of attack.

"_We pushed that gate so much, yet it did not fall. How irritating…"_ An eyepatched one grumbled.

"_Should we push it again?"_ Another officer asked, who was promptly shot down.

"_That's a fool's move. The Italicans would fortify their main gate strongly, and they would expect us to hit it again. So we don't."_

"_Huh?"_

"_See these two gates?"_ The man pointed at the East and West gates. _"We ambush the undermanned gates. They'll never see it coming."_

"_So let's see… the West Gate is closer to our camp. And even though the South gate is more valuable to take, the West Gate would be easier to fight, right? So we'll strike there the most!"_

"_Wrong again. That's what our enemy wants. We send our bulk to flank around to hit the East Gate. That'll be the most vulnerable side. That cocky little princess will think we wouldn't look at the East Gate and leave it open. A fool, a poor one at that."_ With a callous cackle, the older officer motioned for the younger man and a hooded figure to follow him out. _"Tonight, Italica falls to the might of Ulric's army."_

"_My sword is yours, Lord Ulric."_

"_And I hold you to it, Quan. And you, my Siren?"_ The hooded figure threw back their hood, revealing a clump of green hair, reminiscent of feathers. The person had a girlish face as she smirked confidently.

"_I will guide this army to victory. No force on Falmart can defeat us, lest my name is Myuute Luna Sires." _This got Quan's attention as he took a small jab at his compatriot.

"_Ah, but what of the Otherworld Invaders?"_ Myuute froze, her feathers ruffled at their name.

"_T-They shall not be at Italica! They can't be… can they?"_

"_No, I doubt it. Why would the Otherworlders even ally themselves with those low lives? Nay, Italica falls to us."_ Ulric smiled at his junior officers before leaving to inform his army. The two younger officers stood for a bit before bursting out in laughter. Quan and Myuute were good friends ever since the remnant army met the Siren a few months back. The duo quickly became close as they worked under Ulric.

"_I can't believe you actually fell for that!" _Quan laughed out, with Myuute playfully punching his arm.

"_Oh, quiet you! You never know when to stay your tongue, do you?"_ The verdette sighed as the man kept a goofy grin on his face.

"_Lighten up, Myuute! Even if things go wrong, I promise I'll survive. I know I can anyways. Can I hold you to that as well?"_ The man held up a pinky to the shorter woman. She looked at the finger with apprehension before looking back at the young man.

"_If I accept this, we both promise not to perish in battle, got it?"_

"_Of course!"_

"_And… If the Otherworlders do end up being there… don't waste your life against them, okay?"_

"…_I doubt they will be there… but I will try my damnedest to stay alive if they are. You have my word. Now then,"_ Quan wiggled his pinky at Myuute. _"Are you accepting the promise or not?"_

"_If you agree… then yes,"_ The verdette linked her pinky with his as they locked eyes fiercely. _"We WILL stay alive, no matter what."_

"_That's what I like to hear. Let's get going then, Italica won't siege itself."_ The duo exited the war tent, preparing to start marching soon.

* * *

The West Gate was fully prepared for a frontal assault. O'Hara's commanding of the situation and intimidation whipped all men into readiness for an assault. The spotters were working on the clock, keeping an eye close on the bandit camp. There were 3 objectives to the mission according to the First Lieutenant.

One: Defend Italica at all cost. Two: Rout the enemy. Spare those who surrender but grant no quarter to those who refuse defeat. And Three: Capture their commanders. The last one was unconditional according to Piña. According to her, the commanders were rogue Saderan officers who were dissatisfied with the Empire and the reason she wanted them alive was to put them on trial. O'Hara absentmindedly nodded at her pleas, but in the back of his mind cogs were turning for this fortunate turn of events.

The two officers were General Vrum Ulric and his apprentice Quan Callus. Piña also spoke of the rumor that Ulric's army had a Siren in their midst, so that was also a priority to capture. These three would be instrumental to the U.S war effort, not for the Empire's judgement, however. O'Hara planned to bring the three bandit leaders back to camp to be interrogated and hopefully convinced to fight for the States. But she didn't need to know that.

The defenders had their plans and were currently on guard in case the bandits made a move. Axe finished his scout shift as he gave it up to Conrad. He met with Eric, who lent up against a wall fiddling with something.

"Oi, Eric! What'cha up to?" The Georgian asked, making the blonde man jump a bit.

"Oh, Jesus! Don't scare me like that!" He then went to looking back at the object he had on him, gesturing for Axe to come closer. "C'mon, check this out." The object was a sphere with strange, glowing runes embedded into it.

"Whoa… what is it?"

"That's the thing… I don't know. Some merchant in the city gave it to me, saying that I'll need it more than him. Whatever that means."

"Ain't it a bit, I dunno, dangerous to toss around to n' fro?"

"Maybe? I've been keeping a close eye on it ever since I got it."

"It's a Runic Sphere." A small voice spoke up, making both men jump and causing Eric to lose his hold on the sphere. A staff shot out and the sphere was suspended in the staff's crook. The young men turned around and saw Lelei standing there with her signature neutral expression.

"L-Lelei! Didn't notice you there!" Eric chuckled out nervously. He grabbed the suspended artifact warily before continuing. "So… What is this Runic Sphere exactly?"

"Simply put, it's a conduit for magic." The technician lit up at this, now infinitely more interested in its function. "Each one has a different function, and from what I gathered from its runes… this one is a voice transmogrifier."

"A what?" Axe asked, clearly confused about the conversation.

"It can change your voice, I think," Eric replied. The girl nodded as she held out her hand to him. The technician complied and she pressed the stone to her throat after a few incantations. She cleared her throat and the stone glowed.

"It allows the user to change their voice at will." She said, surprisingly with Leo's voice.

"Holy crap! It's like the kid's actually here!"

"What the… did Collins call on the radio just now?" O'Hara called out to them as confusion was etched onto his face.

"Oh, sorry Boss." Lelei moved the stone from her throat, returning it to normal. "I was just demonstrating the Runic Stone to Eric and Axton."

"I-is that so… Wait, Runic Sphere?" O'Hara was now intrigued as he joined the small group.

"Yeah I could've sworn I heard Leo clear as day," Conrad said, handing his binoculars to Tuka as he joined the group. Lelei held the Runic Sphere out to the group for them to see. She demonstrated again, with her impersonating Rory this time.

"Creepy…" Conrad muttered, getting a shiver down his spine as he heard the small woman's voice again. "But really cool!" O'Hara, however, had a different plan for this new development.

"Say, Lelei," The girl perked up at her name. "You mind if I hold onto that for this battle?"

"Not at all Boss. What do you need it for?"

"You'll see. Thank you by the way." The grizzled man pocketed the stone as he walked away.

"What was that all about?" Conrad asked.

"I think… Boss has a plan." Eric smiled at his leader's back.

"Oh hell yeah. You saw his smirk 'fore leavin'?" Axe added, pumping up a fist. "He's gonna send the Devil himself runnin' for his money with all them tricks he got!" The squad nodded in agreement, with Lelei being the only one not understanding O'Hara's motives.

The man in question was a crafty one. All his plans seemed to link up with any little thing he could take advantage of. It's what made him a terrify squad commander in North Africa and proving his ruthlessness to the Princess of his country's enemy will solidify their dominance in this war. It seems everything would be going according to plan.

"_Fa-O'Hara!" _Tuka cried, snapping the man out of his thoughts. _"The bandits are on the move!"_

"_Now? Looks like we're fighting early then." _He turned to back to his company. "We got contact boys! Prepare for a brawl!" The unanimous cheer let him know the soldiers were ready for battle. Piña noticed the Americans getting fired up and ordered her men to get ready as well. The 4 Americans held on their backline as they aimed their rifles down the field.

The bandit crew ran down the field and were slowly encroaching onto the West Gate. The men aimed their guns and steadied their breaths. The ruffians were gaining ground, and the Italican defenders looked upon the Americans warily, wondering why they haven't used their strange wands yet. The men still stared down their sights, watching the enemy move downhill.

50 meters.

40.

30.

20.

The gunfire cracked through the open night air as the defender's trench lit up. The flares of the weapons were followed by the deaths of many bandits. The loud gunfire made by the rifles made the bandits and Italicans alike to cover their ears in fear. Some of the braver defenders got past their initial fear and gathered their bows, aiding the Otherworlders in their attack. The enemy army stagnated for a bit until taking the chance to surge forward upon the reloading Americans. A retreat into the inner defense wall gave the outer wall to the bandits.

Unbeknownst to them, the bandits took this chance to send a sizable chunk of their force splitting off into the East Wall offensive. This team used the dark of the night to remain hidden from the eyes of the defenders, slinking across the hills to reach the other wall.

"_Lord Ulric! I'll lead this company to victory!"_ Quan cried as he rode off into the night.

"_Take me as well!"_ Myuute piped in as she flew to his side. _"My song will weaken their defenses. We'll have an easier time raiding the East Wall. I can even reinvigorate our soldiers!"_

"_Then I'm glad to have you at my side, friend. Let's go!"_ With a snap of his reins, the brunette led his men of 100 onto the other side. Ulric gazed after their shrinking forms before wishing the duo luck. As for him, Ulric had already resigned himself to fate upon seeing the Outworlders set up on the walls. About 30 or so men had fallen to their strange weapons, but their retreat was a breather for the bandits as well as their chance. With one loud cry, Ulric led his company into the West Wall, refusing to perish without a fight.

* * *

It was a known fact that bandits took in anyone they wanted into their bands. And it was the perfect breeding ground for urchins and thieves. The ones who wanted nothing more than to pillage and reap riches from those their siege. One such thieving party allied themselves with Ulric's army. The Rats, as they were called, slinked in quietly with Quan's party as they marched onto the Eastern Wall. And upon seeing the unguarded South Gate, the 6-man group quietly ran towards it, greed heavy on their minds.

The urchins snickered to each other as they made it towards the gate and made their way into the dilapidated fort. The worked through the remains of the defenses as they mocked Ulric for his foolishness. The army should've pushed here from the start! Ah well, their loss, the Rats said. The scourged the area looking for any treasure when something made one of them stop. He slowly turned around and dropped what he was holding, petrified by pure terror. The others made their way towards him before also stopping, acting as if they were deer in headlights.

Pointed at their company was an iron trunk belonging to an elephant of sorts. The last thing the Rats saw was the hollow interior of the iron elephant's trunk as a loud bang with a bright flash blew them to smithereens. The blast left barely any remains of the would-be thieves as the smoke cleared. The top of the beast was flung open as a man popped out, looking around. He lit a cigarette as he looked at the blasted remains of the Rats.

"So… you think we got 'em?"

* * *

The sudden loud noise coming from the South Gate made the defenders jump. Caroline sighed as she looked over to the gate.

"Guess those boys found someone to blow up. Wanna bet that'll be the only time they get to fire that damn thing?"

"You know what? I'll hold you up to that." Frederick replied. "Fifty cents says they shoot again."

"Make it 60."

"Seventy-Five."

"Deal." The two adults shook hands as they placed their bets. Grant rolled his eyes as he lit his cigarette.

"You poor fool… Hey, Leo," The boy perked up at the mention of his name. "The Sherman Crew fired their guns."

"Are you making a bet as well?"

"What? No, not that. If they fired their gun, the army must be on the move. Check your binoculars, see where they're at."

"Oh, y-yeah I knew that." Leo peered out onto the field and saw nothing. "Well, just like last time, no sight of them. I don't think they're coming…" The binoculars were snatched out of his hands, startling him. "W-wha-Hey!" The thief was none other than Rory, who looked through it, albeit the wrong way.

"You're obviously not looking through it properly!"

"Like you're looking any better! Turn it around!" The girl gave it a flip as she stared out onto the field and giggled.

"Oh my, what a sight! And so ferocious too!"

"Hey, what the hell are you seeing that we can't?!" Grant growled as the girl tossed the binoculars back to Leo.

"Oh, nothing… other than a force of 100 men charging over here! Ooh~ I can't wait to taste their blood!" Rory moaned at the thought of battling, and a moan which frightened the Italicans and heavily creeped out the Americans.

"Goddammit… Everyone get in those trenches! We're gonna have contact soon!" Leo ordered, making the other 3 Americans hustle into the fortifications, unslinging their rifles as they did. Leo turned to Rory, who held onto her halberd giddily. "Yo, god-bitch, how the hell did you see those guys from that far? It's too dark out to see jack-all."

"Heheh, silly boy… Being an apostle grants me many superhuman feats, such as seeing in the dead of night and eagle eye vision." Leo was slightly unnerved as he set up his M1 Garand, leering down its sights down the hill.

"Alright, when they come over the hill, don't go firing randomly. Boss wanted us to capture their leaders, and they're probably riding up front... Are they?" He asked that last part to Rory, who looked out through the glasses again. A nod gave him the answer as the troop prepared for battle.

The enemy made their way over the hills and was storming through. The 4 riflemen steadied themselves, aiming away from the two figureheads in the center of the pack. A bead of sweat dripped from Leo's brow, and when it dropped off, he cried out his order.

"FIRE!"

The gunfire crackled through the night air, killing those hit by it. And despite the constant stream of bullets taking down his men, the commander continued his advance.

"Damn! He's got guts, I'll give him that!" Frederick grunted. A click was heard when he tried to fire again as he slung back his gun. "Shit! Leo, I'm dry!"

"Damn… Same with you guys?" The other 2 checked their guns and nodded. Leo shot off the last of his rounds before issuing a retreat into the walls. "Pick up some of the reserves we kept in there, we're gonna fight in up close." The team retreated into the walls, making the Italicans defenders yell at them for cowardice, although some followed them.

"They're callin' us cowards… Damn idiots don't know they'll die if they stay out there." Caroline grumbled as she fixed her bayonet onto her rifle, reloading it as well. "Glad we brought the ammo crates with us though."

"Yeah, no kidding…" Frederick sighed out, picking up a Thompson. "Close-quarters will be some hell, that's for sure."

"Hell for them, that is." Grant grinned darkly, affixing a bayonet onto his Autoloading 8.

"Jeez, I hope the boys over at the Western Gate don't have to fight up close…" Leo sighed, reloading his Garand and affixing its bayonet.

* * *

"If the boys over at the East Gate aren't doing this, they're missin' out!" Axe laughed madly as he blasted another bandit's chest with his M97 Trench Gun. "BOOM!" The others in the proximity quickly learned not only to keep away from the soldier but to fear him as well. The bandits slew the defenders but were struggling to encroach onto the soldiers. The Americans proved to be too brutal of fighters, as indicated by Axe's display.

"I'd hope they weren't attacked, preferably…" Conrad grunted out, pushing back a bandit's sword and slashing his face with his bayonet. The man stumbled back before being shot by his sidearm. "That was close…"

"You good buddy?" Eric called out, using his 12g to blow back another ex-legionnaire.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Boss?"

"Off in the fray. He's gonna get their leader and force a surrender he says." Axe said, going back-to-back with his fellow shotgunner. "So for now, we're holdin' the line."

"Yeah, and so far, looks like the Italicans are falling, and we lost a Rose Knight because he wanted to play hero upon retreat. Poor bastard…" Conrad fell back and provided support to his compatriots. Suddenly, the doors to their side burst open as a horde of bandits stormed through. The defenders with the Americans took up arms first, getting ready to beat back the bandits.

The bandits made quick work of the men, slicing through them like butter. The Americans shot down some of them, but the size of the raiding group meant they had to get up close eventually. Axe was the first, bayonet charging a bandit before shooting another. Eric joined him as the duo went for their shotgun routine.

One ex-legionnaire snuck up on axe and hacked at his arm. The blonde got out of the way to avoid a serious injury, but the blade sliced his arm up still.

"Shit! He got my arm!"

"Dammit, you alright Axe?!" Eric yelled back to his friend. Before he could respond, Conrad called out.

"Eric look out!" He turned around, only to get socked in the face by a bandit. Before the ruffian could deliver a follow-up, Conrad filled him with holes. "Shit, Eric get up!"

"G-gotcha…" The man sat back up, albeit a bit dazed. He picked back up his 12g and blasted a chuck out of a bandit. "This is gonna hurt…"

* * *

O'Hara has found himself fighting with the rest of the defenders up at the forefront. Using the Runic Sphere, he was able to copy the commander's voice upon hearing him yell across the battlefield. The constant orders he gave messed up many bandits, who turned to retreat.

The commander caught wind of this and attempted to find the source of the disruption. The damage had been done, however, as the bandit troops he commanded had already fallen back. Ulric was glad he called in reinforcements to come later now. They should be here any minute. After making his way towards the knights, he found the source of his troubles: A gruff man holding a Runic Sphere. The man gave Ulric a smug grin as he met to him. Ulric gave a command to make his men back off.

"_I'll deal with this ruffian myself."_ The man before him scoffed as he shot back, equally venomous.

"_Ruffian? Says the one attempting to sack this city."_

"_Tch, it matters not. All that matters is that this city falls to me! I've already sent a company to the East Wall." _This elicited a sharp glare from the bearded man, in which Ulric gave a cocky laugh. _"Oh my, it seems I struck a nerve! I hope you didn't have anyone important there!"_

"_No… not at all,"_ The Outworlder said, giving a dark chuckle. _"Just a certain bloodthirsty priestess."_ Ulric's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at O'Hara's implication.

"_N-no way…! Rory Mercury is there?!"_

"_The one and only."_

"_Damn you! This isn't how it was supposed to go!" _The bandit leader drew his gladius at pointed it at O'Hara. _"You weren't supposed to be here, Outworlder Scum!"_

"_And yet here we are. So why don't you surrender and I don't kill you?"_

"_I'd rather die than be captured. So bite me."_ The man shut up as he lunged towards O'Hara. The bearded man dodged to the side and drew his combat knife. He slugged Ulric's face, which the bandit retaliated with a sucker punch to the stomach. Both men staggered back as they glared hatefully at each other. Ulric was the first to recover, running up to O'Hara and preparing a slice.

O'Hara prepared a counter-stance and turned the sword user's arm back. For extra measure, he drove his knife into the man's forearm, causing him to cry out in pain. It did its job as he dropped his gladius. The man was put into a chokehold by O'Hara but escaped it by delivering a brutal headbutt back. O'Hara staggered back as Ulric pulled the knife out from his arm, clenching his teeth through the pain.

He went for a killing stab, one aimed at the dazed man's eye. O'Hara saw this coming and went for his pistol. 3 loud shots resonated through the battleground as the bearded man's M1911 was left smoking. Ulric stopped his advance as he stared down at the three small holes in his armor. The holes that were slowly leaking blood, one of them striking his heart. He shot his opponent one last glare before falling forward, dead.

"Damn, and I said I wasn't going to kill him…" O'Hara said, retrieving his knife. He stared back at the remaining bandits, who were shaking in place upon seeing the American's strength. _"Boo."_

The ruffians scurried away, crying in fear about a war god amongst the Italicans ranks. O'Hara laughed to himself as he went back towards his subordinates. He was met with the sight of Axe bandaging up his arm as Eric and Conrad stood about, exhaustion on their faces. And around them were a bunch of bandit corpses.

"I see you boys had fun."

"Y-yep… One of 'em got my arm though. Shit hurts, but I'll live." Axe grunted out, tying up his bandage. Eric gave a weak thumbs-up as Conrad laid back on the floor.

"Was one helluva battle here. You finished your end Boss?" Eric asked. O'Hara shook his head as he knelt with his men.

"Nope. Accidentally killed the guy. Granted he was going to gouge my eye out, but it still ain't pretty. You boys able to fight still?"

"Yeah, we got some fight left in us. The only reason we're like this is that a big wave got in here and took down most of the defenders." Eric spat out some blood. "We got beat bad too, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"Good. Be on standby. I learned that the East Gate is under attack as well. We can't provide them with any help over here, but…"

"But…?"

"Our reinforcements should be coming soon. They should reach the West Gate first, so Collin's team will be fine."

"Heheh, you plan all of this Boss?" Conrad laughed weakly. The older man gave a wry grin as his answer, much to the younger soldier's amusement.

* * *

"Caroline! Back me up!" Frederick cried out. A hail of bullets was his answer as he fell back in the ranks. "Damn, that was close!"

"Yeah no kidding," Caroline said, helping Frederick back into the fortifications. The spectacled man slumped into the wall beside her, holding his side. "You alright?"

"Y-yeah, just got banged up a little. Nothing a nap won't fix afterwards."

"Tch… Grant, Leo!" The men in question turned to the medic. "Make sure those uglies don't get us, I'm checking up on Fred here."

"Right. Don't let up on the fire Grant!" The older man nodded to his superior as they fired down the hall. Caroline went over to check on Frederick and gasped at what she saw. An arrow was sticking out his side that he was covering.

"Shit… it ain't bad, is it Doc?"

"…You want me to sugarcoat or…?"

"Dammit, just patch it up! It hurts!" The woman got to work, handing Frederick a rag.

"Here, bite down on this. I don't want you screaming in my ear when I take it out." The man snagged the cloth and bit down. Caroline then grabbed the wooden shaft as she held a gauze in another hand. "This is gonna sting a bit, just don't think about it, ok?" Without waiting for a response, she yanked the shaft out of Frederick's side, causing a muffled scream to come from him. Caroline immediately placed the gauze on the wound, letting the blood soak up in it. As it did, she fished out a bandage roll and dressed the wound. Frederick spat out the rag as Caroline finished up.

"God DAMN did that hurt!"

"Don't move too much alright? I only gave you first-aid." Caroline advised. "When we get back to base, I'm making sure you get that hole stitched up."

"Right… thanks, Doc." Upon hearing the Medic's diagnosis, Leo cursed to himself.

'Damn, Freddie's out of the fight. This isn't going good at all,' He stared at the dead bodies of the Italican defenders and the weakened states of the two Rose Knights fighting with them. 'Where the hell is Rory?!'

As if to answer his call, the priestess dropped in from the upper wall, the fall killing a bandit she landed on. The murderous glint in her eye struck fear in the hearts of the others surrounding her. The commander was the first to shout.

"_Don't try to fight her! Wait for Myuute to get here!"_ A few cocky ruffians scoffed at the officer's advice.

"_Screw that! She can still be incapacitated! We just hafta chop her up!"_

"_Oh please, as if I'd let you get the chance to."_ Rory crooned, brandishing her halberd as it gleamed in the moonlight. _"Let's play, boys~"_

One by one, the bandit group that surrounded the small girl were brutally murdered. The Americans watched in horror as the priestess moaned sensually upon every kill. The remaining defenders huddled with the Americans, wanting no part in the woman's frenzy.

"H-holy shit… she wasn't kidding was she?" Leo heaved out, having ducked behind the wooden fortifications.

"Glad she's on our side then…" Grant muttered. Caroline gulped at the sight as Frederick slowly backed up further up the wall in an attempt to edge away from the small killer. Rory herself had finished killing the men who dared oppose her as she turned to face the commander. A brown-haired man holding a rather fancy spear, and he looked at the woman in fear.

"_**Yield."**_ The tone of the tiny reaper made it clear it wasn't a suggestion, rather a command. The man took a large gulp and slowly placed his spear on the ground. Sweat dripped from his brow as he raised his hands up in the air. His remaining men understood what was happening and followed his lead, dropping their weapons as well. Rory let out a smile, although it did little to ease their worries. _"Good. Now my friends here will keep you captured. Try anything funny and my halberd might just slip."_ The implication of her words made sure the prisoners didn't fall out of line.

"Well, I guess that's a victory over here for us, eh?" Leo cracked a smile to his team, who gave him a thumbs-up. It seems as if the battle was done, but another boom sounding from the South Gate reminded them of the reinforcement troops.

"YES! 75 CENTS ARE MINE!" Frederick yelled in victory, before crying out in pain.

"Idiot! Stay still! Although," Caroline then got a sadistic smile as she glanced back at her wounded partner. "I wouldn't mind if you died. Don't have to pay you for that bet then."

"Not funny!" Leo let out a small laugh as his teammates continued to bicker. All the while, he wondered what caused the Sherman to fire again.

* * *

Myuute wanted to cry. This was not supposed to happen not at all. Halfway through the trek, Quan told her to grab the reinforcements and rendezvous with him back in the East Gate. She protested against his decision, but he told her to trust him. She reluctantly let him go as she amassed the reserve troops. Luckily, those troops had orcs in their ranks, allowing for mobile tank units.

Upon reaching the hillside, Myuute looked towards the East Wall and noticed that the fighting from it was dying down. And knowing that the Outworlders were amongst the defenders, it didn't look too good. Despite wanting to go to Quan's side, Myuute decided the best course was to flank through. And that would be the South Gate, although it was considered a trap set up by Ulric. Her men should be good enough, plus the Siren Song of hers can dismantle any trap.

The plan was flawless… until it wasn't. The force of 200 strong reached the gate and prepared to infiltrate it, but a rumbling noise from behind them made the group stop dead in their tracks. Turning around, they were met with an Iron Elephant glaring down at the team. To its sides were groups of the Green Army Men riding in horseless wagons. Their staffs were aimed at the bandits as they yelled something at them. Possibly a surrender, but they wouldn't know.

An archer decided to cock his bow and fire, only for loud bangs to resonate and him being riddled with holes. The bandits grew angry and surged forward, despite Myuute telling them not to. The Iron Elephant blew its trunk, blasting the force before it to smithereens. The Siren covered her ears and shut her eyes, not wanting to fight anymore. Her men had other plans, however.

Using the smoke veil, the small group of 20 went inside the gate. They heaved and sighed in relief, grateful that the enemy didn't kill them outside. Only for a low hum to sound out as they stared down the trunk of another Iron Elephant.

_"You have got to be fucking ki-"_

A blast from behind Myuute made her flinch again as she curled up on the ground in a ball. She lost, Ulric and Quan were most likely dead, and any chance of being spared was instantly gone. The verdette started to sob bitterly at her situation as her enemies made sure the bandits were dead. And upon finding the Siren on the ground whimpering, the soldiers brought the bird-woman with them as they left for the West Wall.

**Siege of Italica**

**Result: Successfully Defended the City**

**Bandit Army… Wiped Out. Bandit King Ulric… Dead.**

* * *

The morning sun lazily made its way over the hilltops, illuminating the fields riddled with corpses. Recon Squad C made their way back to Countess Myui's Mansion, along with the Sherman and Hellcat teams. And after hearing the victory of the battle from the radio, General Warner made his way towards Italica with his convoy. While the Americans waited for their General, they decided to take the time to relax, and in Frederick's and Axton's cases, get patched up.

"You got sliced on your arm? Yikes." Frederick said, reading a magazine one of the tank crew members brought.

"Speak for yerself. You got stung by an arrow. Shit musta hurt like hell." The blonde told him. "I'm glad all I need was some stitches and a bandage."

"Yep, I'm really glad Doc patch me up out there. It hurt a LOT, not gonna lie."

"So next time you're gonna be careful?" Caroline said, walking towards her two patients.

"Yeah, yeah. I promise I won't get shot by an arrow again."

"Be glad it was an arrow and not a bullet." The spectacled man groaned as the woman picked up another magazine on the table. "Thankfully, out of all of us, only you two got hurt. So thanks for not making my life hell." The woman smiled at the two boys, who laughed it off.

"Sure, whatever helps ya sleep at night." As the trio continued talking, another group rested by another couch. Eric, Conrad, Tuka, and Rory were lazing about, with the soldiers grateful for the rest.

"Aaah~ this feels like heaven…" Eric exclaimed, letting himself sink into the couch. "So soft, fluffy… Amazing…" Conrad nodded as he laid on the ground, half-asleep.

"Lucky bastard…What I would do to be in a proper bed. Hell, I'd sleep in my bunk bed back at base."

"You boys seem so tired, then again, I forget how fragile humans are." Rory giggled.

"Well, that's different. You're a demigod, so you can slice open loads of people and be as right as rain immediately. Bit unfair if you ask me." Eric chimed in.

"I can't help it, it's just how I am." Rory then turned to Tuka. _"And how are you holding up, little elf?"_

"_Hmm… I could go for a nap myself, but for the most part, I'm alright."_

"You guys are lucky as hell… being a human sucks." The girls laughed at Conrad's comment, who rolled his eyes as he rolled to his side. Eric chuckled a bit before staring past the sleeping Grant on another couch, towards the closed door leading to the Countess's room.

"As much as I'm glad we can rest, those three aren't. At least, not now."

"Hm?" Conrad looked up and saw what Eric meant. "Ah, yeah. Boss, Leo, and Lelei all have to attend that meeting. Shame, they gotta be stuck in there while we're out here. They're probably just standing around, tired as hell…"

"You said it. I feel bad for 'em. I hope they're holdin' up in there."

* * *

Heaven. Absolute heaven. Leo was counting every single blessing that was given to him at that moment. The meeting would be in Myui's own bedroom since there was no proper place to hold it. The Countess offered hospitality and gave the three of them permission to make themselves at home. So naturally, Leo flopped onto her bed and dozed off almost immediately. O'Hara let out a gut laugh as the cat maid, Persia, screamed in horror at the amount of grime on the Countess's bed.

"_This is going to be hell to clean up…" _The woman lamented. _"GET OFF THE COUNTESS'S BED YOU URCHIN!" _Despite Persia's attempts, Leo was still asleep, soundly at that. Myui watched the situation curiously as she sat next to O'Hara, who found the situation hilarious. Eventually, he nudged Lelei, who was reading a book from the shelf.

"Hey, do you mind waking up Leo for me? As much as I enjoy watching him dirty up the white sheets, I highly doubt the maid would appreciate it." The bluenette nodded as she walked over to the sleeping boy. He looked so calm, peaceful, happy even. Shame she had to ruin that, but oh well. With a light Water cantrip, Lelei had a water bubble drop on his face, making the boy shoot up.

"J-J-JESUS CHRIST! COLD COLD COLD!" Leo shouted as he bounced off the bed.

"Good morning."

"Mornin' Lelei… wait, did you splash me?!"

"Had to. You were messing up the Countess's bed."

"I-I… fine, you win. Please don't drench me again."

"No promises." A groan escaped Leo's lips as he stood next to O'Hara, who was giving him a shit-eating grin.

"Wait a second… you put her up to this, didn't you?"

"Heheh, a tactician never reveals his secrets."

"I thought magicians said that?"

"Bah, you're no fun." Leo rolled his eyes as O'Hara went to talk with Myui, talking with her about certain objects on his person. The way he was treating her was like a grandfather to his granddaughter. It was cute in a way. The boy sat down on the ground as he found himself looking over Lelei's shoulder, reading the book she was reading. She eventually just put it between them as they shared the book.

"The… soup store? Why was the servant buying clothes at the soup store?" Leo asked, gaining a blank stare from Lelei.

"That says clothing store. How did you get soup from that?"

"I dunno! Falmartean language is weird. It's just a bunch of pictures. How the hell is your spoken language Latin but the written language isn't?" The girl shrugged as Leo grumbled under his breath. "Fine, let's move onto the other page…"

After about 10 minutes, Piña entered the room with Grey. She also looked tired as she weakly waved towards Myui and O'Hara, with Grey looking only slightly haggard. The grizzled man gave the two Imperials a nod while Leo gave them a small wave.

"_Our General will be here soon, so sit tight," _O'Hara stated, getting a nod from the two newcomers. The room was filled with meaningless chatter after a bit until Persia came back in the room 20 minutes later with an older looking man in a green uniform. Given how Leo, O'Hara, and even Lelei stood up and saluted him, the Imperials assumed he was their General.

"Well, here I am. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Warner said, exhaling smoke from his pipe.

* * *

The break room was in a cacophony of sorts, as the U.S soldiers were absolutely elated seeing their General come in. One of Piña's knights was waiting outside and didn't really understand the commotion. She found a seat by a young soldier, who was reading a book with an unreadable title. She tried to read the title but to no avail.

"_It's not Falmartean, if that's what you're wondering."_ Hamilton jumped as the man closed the book he was reading. He extended a hand towards her as he let out a small grin. _"Name's Conrad. Mind telling me yours?"_

"_H-Hamilton!"_ She squeaked out. _"I-I mean, Hamilton, sir. Hamilton Uno Ror."_ She took his hand as he shook it.

"_No need to call me sir, makes me sound old."_ Conrad chuckled. After a bit more talking, he and Hamilton got to friendly small talk. He would have to remind himself to thank Cato for casting the translating spell on him a while back. All those pervy side quests he wanted him to do really paid off.

The cat maid from earlier stepped out of Myui's bedroom and reentered the common room. She found the Americans intriguing as they talked with her. Both sides taking great interest in each other. And Frederick was chastised by Caroline for trying to get the poor maid to smoke.

After about 15 minutes, the bedroom doors opened as General Warner stepped out, along with O'Hara, who wore a victorious smirk. Following him were Countess Myui and Princess Piña, the latter of whom look defeated. The room hushed as the general gazed at all the soldiers present. He let out a grin as he spoke.

"Well boys, good job. Italica is now under U.S control. Pat yourselves on the back boys, you earned it." The soldiers gave a loud 'HOORAH!' upon hearing the good news. Warner continued as he exhaled another puff of smoke from his pipe. "We'll be getting a lot more troops coming in here for the next few days. Expect an Italican base to be set up in about a few months. Dismissed!" The Americans saluted to their general as they filed out the room. Only Recon Squad C remained, as they waited on their lieutenants to leave. The men came out of the room, with them looking pretty happy about the results.

"Hey, what happened in there? Don't leave us in the dark Boss!" Eric begged. O'Hara chuckled as he crossed his arms.

"Well…"

* * *

**15 minutes earlier…**

"_There's no way we will let Italica fall under your complete control!" _Piña snapped at General Warner, who rolled his eyes as he stared down the girl.

"This ain't about what you want, girlie. MY men defended this city to their teeth and came out victorious. You barely had the situation under control before our intervention." He lit the end of the pipe as Lelei translated, making the Princess and her knight grow angry.

"_You hold your tongue! My Princess-"_

"Almost let this city fall to bandits. Sure I'll hold my tongue… when she becomes a competent leader." A glare by the gruff man shut the two of them up. "Now then, where were we… Ah yes, the topic of putting Italica under U.S control. I believe my Lieutenant here gave you the rundown beforehand?" A nod from O'Hara confirmed this.

"I informed the Countess of the intentions of the United States concerning Italica. Would you like a refresher?"

"No need Jonah. I've known you for too long. I have a good idea of what you've said to these people." The two men shared a grin as they got back to the matter on hand. The general then turned to the small countess. "Now then miss Myui, are you still in agreement of the terms laid out by my friend here?" Upon translation, the Countess nodded.

"_Can I trust you to keep my people safe? I don't want their livelihoods to be destroyed. I've seen your power, and I don't wish that for my people."_

"Then you have my word. My men won't hurt your people unless threatened. I promise Countess, your city won't be ransacked by us." He held a hand towards the girl, who took the hand. The man gave her a firm grip, which she attempted to return. A smile grew on Warner's face as he knelt down to be at eye-level with the girl. "You're a real brave girl, you know? It takes guts to do what you just did, and if that isn't deserving of respect, well I don't know what is." The man gave her a warm smile as he ruffled her hair. The Countess let out a small giggle as he did so.

Leo and O'Hara watched as General Warner and Myui discussed a bit more about the treaty. Leo caught the gaze of Piña, who was starting to realize the hopelessness of the situation. He let out a cocky grin as he flipped her off, making the redhead silently fume. General Warner eventually got up and called the meeting over, with the Americans having complete control over the Imperial Citadel.

**Italica, the Largest Trade City in Sadera**

**Now Under Allied Control**

* * *

News of Italica's fall to the Outworlders reached the Imperial Senate. The city fell about two weeks ago, and the messengers finally arrived with the news of its capture. Almost instantly the court was in outrage.

"_Those mongrels! Have they no shame?!"_

"_We must take back the city from those barbarians!"_

"_What are we to do now?! That was the center of our war effort!" _

Molt's concerns weren't focused on these complaints, however. His mind drifted towards his beloved daughter, Piña. She was in the city when it fell, so she was either dead or captured. Both scenarios weighed on the Emperor's heart heavily. He felt immense guilt over her disappearance, as he sent her off to the city. He had sent her remainder of her Rose Order a week ago to investigate when Piña did not respond. As for the Italica situation, even Molt knew when something was a lost cause. He stood up, silencing the senators.

"_There is no point bickering now. Italica is lost and my daughter is dead. I have no desire to reclaim that damned city. Having it back under my control will just make me even more depressed. We shall find another means to get resources. We have lost the battle, but not the war. Remember that."_ With that, Molt Saint Augustus stormed out of the Senate Hall, clearly wanting some time for himself. But it would seem fate would not let him rest, as a certain thorn in his side was waiting for him in the castle's halls.

"_So… you are seriously giving up on Italica, huh Father?" _A blonde man muttered, leaning on a pillar. He looked reminiscent of Molt, although looked a lot more sinister. _"Has my sister's death truly made you senile. A pity, really."_ The man looked to the side as he said the last bit as if Piña's disappearance truly affected him.

"_Zorzal El Caesar, my son and constant headache. Are you here just to mock me or do you actually need something, boy?"_ Molt spat, gaining a frown from Zorzal.

"_I come to advise you to retake Italica and yet here you are, going to drink your worries away. You absolute fool. And they called me mad for attacking those bunnies."_

"_And I believe them. You cost us a sizable chunk of our military for your silly little conquest. And for what, just to get more sluts for your bed?"_

"_My war against the bunnies was for ridding our countryside of those savages! The whores are just a bonus."_

"_You disgust me, brat."_

"_And I hope you croak soon, you shitty old man."_ The two men parted ways, feeling even more bitter to each other than before.

* * *

The fall of Italica was spread throughout Falmart, reaching the ears of the Tirtoga Kingdom in the West and the Franforts to the South. But the news reached the Elvish nation to the North, the Kingdom of Arya. The magically advanced nation isolated themselves from the rest of Falmart, deeming the other races inferior to them. No army attempted to challenge them either, so they lived lives based on magic and learning.

The high elves simply laughed at the news. It seems the foolish human empire below them will finally be humbled. The elvish scientists would rather continue their experiments underneath the elvish citadel of Endymion.

The process had begun nearly three months ago, a little while after Hardy's Gate popped up. The elves made multiple theories and experiments, and it seemed the fruits of their labor would pay off. A small Gate, about as big as a hall door, was created. The problem was finding out where the Gate even led. So that would be designated to the Outworld Diplomatic Team. Armed with magical tomes, the 3 elves would enter the Gate and pursue a diplomatic relation with whoever resided beyond or leave if they are too uncivilized. The elves really wanted a way to gain resources lest the Saderans start advancing to quickly for their liking.

The diplomats were 3 elves: Granz, Tor, and Viola as their head diplomat. The three elves made their way into the small Gate and upon gathering their materials, they entered. The darkness of the Gate was soon illuminated by a piercing white light. The three elves reached for the light and exited the portal. They let their eyes adjust to the daylight as they looked around, only to be shocked by what they saw.

The first thing was the large archway before them, creating an imposing presence onto the elves. The red banners that featured a strange symbol in a white circle flew on the structure. The banner was actually seen adorned on the side of the road, which the trio found themselves in the middle of. And before them stood confused humans wearing strange clothes. Tor waved his hand at them, which they awkwardly waved back.

A man dressed in black ran up to the elves and was taken aback by their appearance. But he pulled out a strange black object from his side as he yelled at them.

"_Who the hell are you?!"_ Viola was taken aback by the fact that the man spoke fluent Aryan, but she replied calmly.

"_We are a part of the Outworld Diplomatic Team, sent by the Kingdom of Arya."_ Upon hearing the name of the kingdom, the man lowered his weapon in confusion.

"_What is Arya?"_

"_It's our homeland. And we elves are its residents. We're Aryans if you will."_

"_Aryans? Well, why didn't you say so!"_ The blonde man holstered his weapon and removed his cap. _"Where are my manners? My name is Fritz Hess, what about you?"_ The elves were taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor but replied nonetheless.

"_My name is Viola Ans, and these two here are the Doll brothers, Granz and Tor." _The two men smiled at Fritz, who flashed back a grin of his own.

"_So what brings you three to Berlin?"_

"…_I'm sorry, where are we? We came from that Gate behind us." _

"_Oh, I see… you came from over there. Well, an enemy of my enemy is my friend I suppose."_ This further confused the elves as Fritz asked a pedestrian to call for a higher-up. The person nodded as they went looking for one. _"Well, then let me be the first to welcome you to Deutschland, the heart of the Third Reich!"_

**Finished with this chapter! Honestly, the reason this took so long was due to me graduating high school and now… I'm in college! It's very exciting, but I won't have too much time to write as I would like. I'm not giving up on this story, mind you! I just won't have a consistent update schedule. Now, as for the events here:**

**Yes, I added another Gate, along with some new players in this story. I want to stray as far away from the canon as I can here, so I don't just rehash certain plot points when I get further. I set myself to make the plot diverge off-canon after the siege, and so here we are. Also, you may notice Zorzal isn't an absolute buffoon like he is in the story. I wanted to make him be extremely prideful and hellbent on victory but is also pretty smart when it comes to combat. I'd want this Zorzal to come off as more of a threat than his idiotic canon self. The Nazi idea sorta just came to me one day while I was writing, and it evolved into a bigger thing. I can't wait to share it with you guys when the time comes! Well then, I think that's everything I have to say. Thanks for the support everyone!**

**Next Chapter: ****Pusha Man**


	4. Pusha Man

**With everything that's happened so far, let's take a breather for right now. That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's the filler episode!**

**Chapter 4: Pusha Man**

A few days after the signing of the contract, American troops started pooling into Italica. After the events of the battle, the Italican citizens grew a lot warmer to the U.S soldiers. The men risked life and limb to protect them and won, something the Empire failed to do. So the people were enjoying their new saviors, and it helped that the Americans didn't want to raid or pillage them. In fact, the men were dedicated to keeping Italica at peace.

Warner said he would be heading back to base soon, and O'Hara along with other officers would be coming back with him. They still needed to complete some more paperwork back there. As for the prisoners of the battle, they were being held in a temporary jail in Italica before deciding what to do with them. The bandits were oddly complacent, a stark contrast from the Saderan prisoners from the Manhattan Incident.

As for Italica, business was going on as usual, as if a battle never happened the days before. The streets were bustling with trade, and among the crowd were Leo and Lelei.

"I still don't understand why you needed me here," Leo said, looking at a necklace a trader was selling. Lelei sighed to his side as she gave some coins to the man.

"You were the only one available. The two injured ones couldn't help me out, plus miss Caroline has to stick with them. I have no idea where Eric and Conrad went, and Grant went back with Boss." She pointed at a strange bead on the counter to buy. "Plus I need someone to stay by me while I shop. I'd rather not be robbed while by myself."

"Yeah, yeah, I got you… Also, don't we have to find that trader that's friend with the old man?"

"Uh… oh, of course! I almost forgot." The girl tapped her chin, trying to remember where the man lived. "He should be somewhere over-wha?!" A dark blur rushed past Lelei, almost knocking her over. Leo caught her, but the bead that she held was gone. "My magatama! It's gone!"

"What?! That damn thief, I'll kick his ass!" Leo ran after the retreating thief, with Lelei trailing behind.

"H-Hey, wait up!"

"Let's nab this thief, Lelei! I'm gonna kick his ass, no one steals from my friend and gets away with it!" Leo shoved his way through the crowd before finding the thief. The person knocked down a crate, running deeper into the crowd. Lelei used an incantation to levitate the fallen goods off to the side as the duo ran after the robber.

The thief managed to outrun Leo and Lelei, making her way onto a wider stretch of the street. Falsely assuming she was out of range, the thief let out a sigh of relief as she slowed to a light jog, thinking she got away with another steal.

"_Fools. I was scared at first due to that American with the spellcaster, but they're just kids, nothing more."_ The woman chuckled as she continued down the path, chuckling to herself. That was until a revving noise broke her from her reverie. She turned around and went white in the face. A brown-haired man was driving on a strange metal horse and was barreling her way, fast too. The thief tried to outrun the man, but he rode on, catching up to her in no time. He drove by and grabbed her by her cloak's scruff before screeching to a halt.

"_So this is the fleet-footed thief I've been hearing about? I have to admit, you are quite fast. But the American's WLA Motorcycle, as they call it, is marginally faster."_ The man patted the side of the bike as if reassuring the vehicle like an animal. _"It's a lot better than a horse, that's for sure. Now then thief, come along nicely and return those stolen goods."_

"_W-who are you supposed to be?!"_ The thief stuttered in the man's grip. _"You speak perfect Saderan, so you can't be one of those Americans. So just who are you?!"_

"_Ah yes, that, well I'm-"_

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" The thief jumped at the voice as the motorcyclist turned to face the person who caused the outburst. His eyes widened a bit, but he returned to a neutral expression as the young American soldier stormed over to them. A blue-haired girl came trotting behind him. "You got a lot of nerve stealing from my friend here! Now hand it over!"

"You know, I was in the process of getting this thief to return the stolen goods. I have been tracking her all day. Thankfully, your little chase got me all the time I needed to corner her." The man on the bike said, holding up the frozen thief in his hand as clarification.

"Yeah thanks a bunch, Mr.…?"

"Oh yes, how foolish of me, I was in the middle of introducing myself. My name is-"

"Quan," The bluenette next to the boy piped up. "You were one of the bandit leaders in the siege. You fought Leo's company before Rory showed up and made you surrender."

"Wait, that was you?! Why the hell are you here then?" Leo pointed an accusatory finger at the older man, who chuckled a bit.

"Hey, hey, let's calm down a bit. Here, let's deal with this thief problem first and I'll fill you two in on everything." He turned over to the thief, who was still in shock at the thought of being captured. _"Now then, I believe you have something for our friend here?"_ The woman was snapped out of her stupor as she slowly reached into her bag and retrieved a small, comma-shaped bead.

"_H-h-here… now let me go, d-don't hurt me please!"_

"_You still stole from others miss. I'll have another officer escort you to return these stolen goods."_ Quan scanned the light crowd before waving over another Military Policeman. The man ran up and gave a salute.

"Deputy Quan! Good to see you, sir, what did you need?"

"I'm doing fine Officer Folly. I do have this thief here though. Mind taking her off my hands?" The younger officer nodded as he handcuffed the thief to himself. "Alright, standard procedures as usual: make sure she gives back the stolen goods then lock her up. I'll have Myuute question her later."

"Sir yes, sir!" The officer walked off, thief in tow. Quan watched the man walk off before turning to the two teens before him who were surprised by the whole interaction.

"This is so weird," Leo started. "Wasn't it almost a week ago you were our enemy? How are you suddenly a Policeman now?"

"Yes, this is something I don't understand either. Wouldn't you have been imprisoned for your actions?"

Quan chuckled at their questions as he leaned on his motorcycle. "Well normally, that would've been the case. But for me and Myuute, it was different…"

* * *

_**6 Days Ago…**_

The prisoners of the Italica Siege were being held in the temporary prison made by the American Italica base. Quan and Myuute were amongst the imprisoned, weariness drawn on both their face. Quan was the first to be brought in for interrogation. He entered a dimly lit room with only a table and an empty chair. A greying man sat on the other end of the table, tapping his pen on his clipboard. Another man sat on a chair beside him, wearing a pointed hat and holding a staff to his side.

"Take a seat sonny." The first man said, pointing his pen at the open chair. Quan couldn't understand him, but the second man raised his cane, forcing Quan onto the seat. The atmosphere was tense as Quan stared at the two old men before him. Despite their age, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by these two. "Now then, let's talk. What were you doing at Italica 2 nights ago?" The man beside him translated, and Quan gave his answer almost immediately.

"_To claim the city for my lord Ulric, nothing more."_

"I see… And why did this Ulric feller want the city?"

"_To liberate it from Saderan control. He loathed Sadera, just like the rest of us in his army. So taking Italica away from them would be a steppingstone in toppling their empire."_

"Are you sure he didn't want it for any… less-than-savory reasons, so to speak?"

"_I… don't really understand what you're insinuating, sir."_

The translator decided to pitch in this time instead. _"He means did Ulric wanted to rape and pillage the city. Did he want to ransack it like a barbarian?"_

"_What the- no! He wouldn't! He spoke of only heroic ambitions for the city, and that they were fools to reject his assistance! Lord Ulric would never say that... he never said that before…" _Quan then shot a glare towards the two men. _"Why are you spinning lies about my commander! A selfless man such as himself would never do that. That's why I followed him, because of his quest!"_

"_I see… poor kid."_ The wizard stroked his beard as he took a hit from his pipe before blowing out a puff. _"You've had wool thrown over your eyes, and you don't know it. It's saddening, really. The other commanders we captured had all said the same thing after we threatened torture: Ulric was planning on sacking this city."_

"I understood the gist of that, and you're right." The other man sighed out, smoking a bit from his cigarette. "I can get one of our boys in the back to pull out one of them and prove it if you'd like."

"_Then do that! The men close to Ulric would tell you the same thing!"_

"Hmph, we'll see. Lars! Haul in one of the commanders here!" A few moments later, a stocky man wearing Saderan armor walked into the room, looking at the two interrogators fearfully while a rifle was aimed at his back. The greying man nudged the wizard next to him to continue.

"_Now then, Legate Gondittus, will you tell us what exactly Lord Ulric wanted?"_ The man gulped before glancing at Quan, who was looking at him expectantly.

"_A-are you s-sure? The boy is here… I don't wish to-"_

"_IF you refuse to comply, I WILL order that soldier to let his trigger finger go loose. Answer the question, __**legate.**__"_

"_Alright, alright, I will!"_ The man began explaining in harsh detail the true intentions of his late commander, tears streaming down his face as he witnessed Quan's innocence shatter as he went on. The legate felt tremendous guilt upon seeing the boy's face, wishing the boy had never heard it in the first place. Quan had grown up with the company and learning that his father figure was the complete opposite of what he proclaimed to be was too much for the man.

"_**THAT'S ENOUGH!"**_ Quan suddenly shouted. _"…you… you've made your point. T-thank you, Gondittus… now get out of my face."_

"_Quan, I never meant to-"_

"_GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!" _He snapped, making the stocky man look away dejectedly as he was escorted out the room. The man was silent as he stared at his handcuffed hands in front of him. He suddenly spoke up after a minute. _"Tell me… what do I do now? Everything I knew is a lie… I… I don't know what to do."_

The greying man sighed as he took a look at the haggard young man before him. He lost all his innocence, just because they wanted answers. He'll be honest, the kid looked like shit, and it was his fault. So there was only one way to solve this problem.

"Boy." The brunette looked back up at the smoker, who mentally groaned at the headache this decision will give him in the future. But if it will help this innocent soldier, so be it. "I can tell you merely want to help others. You only harm others if you have no choice. People like you, those who want to uphold justice, they're pretty rare y'know? But there's a good position in our staff for someone like you."

"Hey, Wallace, you're not saying…"

"I am, Cato. I'm asking if the boy wants to join the Military Police."

"That'll cause many headaches in the future; you know that right?"

"Yeah, but… I think he deserves a second chance rather than rotting away in a P.O.W camp."

"Fine, but it's up to the boy to decide." Cato turned to Quan and asked him about the offer. And almost immediately, he took up the offer. Wallace smiled at this as Cato beckoned the man closer. He cast a translation spell which made Quan fluent in English. Wallace grumbled silently as Quan left the room after talking with Cato for a bit.

"You know, I'm still upset that you won't cast translation spells for the rest of us."

"It still takes a lot out of me you know. I can't cast it any more today, plus I'd rather not kill myself to translate English."

"Yeah, English is one helluva language to learn. I can't blame you then."

"Good to know we're on the same page. But you know, I think making that boy a policeman might've been a good choice."

"Of course it was Cato, I made it. Now I gotta deal with that mountain of paperwork…"

"It was your decision, Mr. Wallace."

The smoker only grumbled in response, which elicited a chuckle from the elder sage.

* * *

_**Back to the present…**_

"So after talking with Cato, I was able to get Myuute on board with me, and we've been working with the United States as Military Police ever since." Quan finished, a small smile creeping on his lips as he remembered his recruitment.

"That's one helluva story Quan. I'm glad you're getting through though." Leo said. "By the way, I remember you having a fancy-looking spear. Where is it?"

"Oh, you mean the Gáe Bolg? It's in my room right now, but I bring it out whenever there's a big upset somewhere."

"That's a strange name for a weapon." Lelei chimed in.

"Hah, you think so? I think it sounds courageous. Then again, it is my family's weapon. It was the only thing I had on me when Ulric found me as a child. He may have been a horrid person underneath, but he was still a caring parent to me. It's… strange really. But that's in the past now. What matters now is what I use Gáe Bolg to fight for, and that's for justice."

"That's an awful righteous goal, Mr. Quan. I hope things look up for you."

"Thank you miss, that's most appreciated. Hey kid, heads up." The policeman grabbed a strange object from his bike's satchel and tossed it towards the boy, who fumbled with it a bit before clutching it. It was an ornate dagger handle with a fiery orange gemstone in its center. "One of the blacksmiths gave it to me. I didn't have a use for it, so I thought that maybe you could use it somehow. All I know is that it's a magical weapon."

"Thanks, Quan… but it doesn't have a blade?" The boy said, inspecting the strange weapon in his hand.

"I've seen one of these before, actually," Lelei said, taking a look at the dagger hilt. "Although it was only in a book, I know the general idea of how it works. Apparently, the blade is summoned through sending your willpower into it."

"How does that work? Do I just think to myself that I want the blade to extend and it will do that?"

"Yes, precisely."

"Huh…" Leo held out the dagger hilt and stared at it for a bit, trying to concentrate on it. "Nothing's happening."

"It's because you're thinking about it too hard kid." Quan said, using his bike's handles as an armrest. "Try closing your eyes and clearing your thoughts."

"Sure, not like it'll do much though," He closed his eyes and thought about only the dagger. He then imagined the shape and texture of the blade, forming it with his mind. A warm sensation started to emit before him as he heard a small gasp to his side. Leo opened his eyes and they went wide as the hilt he was holding now brandished a blade, specifically the design he made in his mind. The biggest thing was that the blade was made of pure fire, and it crackled a bit as he held it out before him.

"H-Holy shit…"

"Amazing…"

"There you have it, a flame dagger! They're neat little things, but not something I'd use. Not my style," Quan smiled as he saw the two teens marveling at the flame blade before them. He revved up his bike, getting their attention again. "Looks like you two are having fun, I'll be off then."

"W-Wait! How do I turn this thing off?!" Leo cried.

"Oh, that? Just do what you did to turn it on but the other way." Leo stared at the dagger for a bit before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. A few seconds later, the flames dissipated and Leo was left holding a dagger hilt again.

"Heheh, this thing's pretty neat."

"Yep, glad you like it. Now I'd love to stay and chat, but I got important errands to run. You two enjoy your date!" The teens were in silence for a bit as Quan started driving off. A few seconds later, their faces flushed scarlet as they realized what the man had said.

"I-It's not like that jackass! We're not on a date!" Quan only laughed as he drove off in the distance, Leo gritting his teeth in embarrassment. Lelei decided to stare at her feet, also too embarrassed to say anything. The two of them stood around awkwardly before Leo decided to break the ice again. "H-hey, don't worry about him."

"I-I wasn't!" Lelei stammered out. Leo blushed a little bit at the small outburst but chalked it up to not fully calming down after Quan's comment.

"Alright then," He sighed out as they slowly calmed down. "Now since everything's settled, what's the deal with the bead you bought?" Lelei took herself out of her stupor as she fished out the bead from her pouch. She held it out for the brunette to see as she explained.

"This is a Magatama Bead. They're magical conduits of sorts. This one for example," She placed it in her palm as she closed her eyes and concentrated. The bead suddenly started glowing a soft, light blue color. Lelei opened her eyes again and brought her free hand's finger to the bead. After pressing on it, she removed her finger from it and spun it around her and Leo as water trailed around them. "This one is a conduit for water. They're all specialized in different ways, and they're important for magical research."

"Wow… you never fail to surprise me with all sorts of magic you can do Lelei." The girl blushed a bit at the praise, looking away bashfully.

"T-thank you. And thank you… for getting back the bead for me. I really appreciate it."

"Hey, it was the least I could do. As I said, no one steals from my friend and gets away with it. Now then, where were we…? Oh yeah, the appraiser's house!"

"Ah! I almost forgot! It should be down this road if I remember correctly."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!" The duo walked down the road, constantly talking about whatever meaningless nonsense they had on their mind. But they both had a smile on their faces as they did.

* * *

General Warner had made his way back to Fort Gate the day after the treaty was signed, and some of the other senior officers made their way back too. O'Hara and Grant were on their way back now, with Grant reading a magazine in the back of the Jeep as O'Hara drove ahead. The past few days were rather uneventful, but Italica really did show signs of trying to rebound, and the Americans in the city were making sure it was going to go smoothly. O'Hara predicted it would be a sizable U.S base in a month, with the city in full rebound by then.

The U.S convoy drove down the road, with things going smoothly. That was until they heard the sound of horses closing in. The soldiers had weapons at the ready just in case, with O'Hara and Grant keeping a steely gaze at the dust cloud that was kicking up before them. Eventually, the dust settled, revealing a small cavalry unit comprised of mostly female knights, which confused the soldiers. One of the knights, a blonde woman with her hair curled into drills, stepped forward.

"_Halt! Who are you men and what are you doing here?"_ O'Hara stepped out his jeep to meet her as he responded.

"_My name is First Lieutenant Jonah O'Hara. These are my men, and we were just leaving Italica to go back to our base."_

"_Your base… Italica…"_ The woman brought her hand to her chin as she began thinking. _"You don't happen to reside on the base on Alnus, do you?"_

"…_And if I say yes?"_

"_Then I'll place you under arrest for raiding Italica, you dirty Otherworlder!"_

"_Then I'm not from that Fort. I'm from a different one."_

"_Oh ok," _Silence fell between both parties for a bit. The woman held her stoic expression still until she saw O'Hara smirk a bit. Only then did it dawn on her that she was duped. _"You unruly pig! Taking advantage of a noblewoman like that! Girls! We shall beat this man senseless!"_

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you,"_ O'Hara said calmly, his hand up in the air. The blonde woman didn't understand until she looked beyond him and her eyes widened in horror. The man's company was filled with mages, albeit their attire was strange. The clicking noise let her know that their staffs were trained on her and her knights. So if they were to endanger this O'Hara fellow, they'd die before he'd get any serious injuries. And she didn't want to test the mage's casting time, as for as she knew, they could instantly cast their spells.

The woman reluctantly held her hands up, prompting her knights to stop attacking. _"Good, you are smart. You know, that insignia on your flag, I could've sworn I've seen it before… Oh yes, the Rose Order of Knights. Then if you attacked me, this would've been double jeopardy for you."_

"_How so…?"_

"_Well, us Americans took control of Italica, with Princess Piña back at Italica under our watch. We could've had her punished for your actions miss."_

"_You monsters! What have you done with my liege?!"_

"_Absolutely nothing. Other than her having no power over Italica. Would you like to see her?"_

"…_How do I know this is not a trap? How do I know she's not already dead?"_

"_Well, this document was signed by her before we left 20 minutes ago, does that suffice?" _O'Hara said, pulling out some paperwork Piña signed that he was to return back to base with. The blonde woman read the document and sighed in defeat.

"_That truly is my liege's handwriting alright… my women are at your mercy sirs. Just be gentle, please. I don't care what you do to me, just don't harm my knights."_ O'Hara raised an eyebrow at this. Grant decided to chime in at this as well.

"_Hey, lady. We're not going to deflower your girls if that's what you're worried about. We have standards, plus most of these guys are married, they're not going to cheat on their wives like that. That's immoral y'know?" _

"_A-are you sure?"_

"_Positive."_

"_My friend is right,"_ O'Hara said. _"We're not going to harm you girls. Just follow us back to the capital and you'll be fine. However, any attempts to attack us will be dealt with force. Do you understand me?"_ The authority in O'Hara's voice made the woman want to shrink back in fear, like a child being reprimanded by their father. She meekly nodded as she ordered her troops in file to walk alongside the Americans. A woman with short white hair decided to pipe in, confusion etched on her face.

"_Bozes! What are we doing?! Shouldn't we make these men surrender to us? We outnumber them!"_ She asked as they marched beside the foreign soldiers.

"_Panache, I wish we could. I really do. But,"_ Bozes gazed at the strange staff in O'Hara's hand, its shape being intimidating enough as is. _"I fear that if we do, we won't live to tell the tale… These 'Americans' look like extremely trained mages. Maybe even stronger than our own Excelsiors. I don't want to risk anything, so do as they say."_

"_I… I understand. If you think this is the right choice, then I'll follow it. I just hope we don't die from this."_

"_You know, you two should really lighten up."_ Grant interrupted, getting both women's attention.

"_I am lightened up!"_

"There we go!"Grant started laughing as Bozes groaned in annoyance.

'_Oh Emory, just let me see Piña already…'_

* * *

Piña was feeling very stressed back at the Countess's mansion. She had no autonomy whatsoever in Italica, since all control was seceded over to the United States. She could only sit on her throne and wait for them to release her. But given her standing as Princess of Sadera, there was no guarantee she'd be left alone. Piña let out a heavy sigh before slumping in her throne, weariness scrawled all over her face.

Suddenly, the doors of the throne room opened, along with some laughter. Piña looked up to see the commotion and saw Hamilton enter the room. She straightened up upon seeing her escort, an American soldier. Piña gulped, suspecting something was amiss but calmed herself as she saw Hamilton and the young soldier continue talking in a friendly manner.

"-again. Hello, how are you?" the man said, beckoning a response from the knight.

"Um… I… am… fine?" She struggled to get out. The man smiled as he gave her a thumbs up.

"Perfect! Now, what should you say next?"

"Hmm… What about… you?"

"Exactly! And I'm fine too by the way."

"That's good." The duo kept talking as they entered the room. The princess was glad her page had found a friend in this man, but she cleared her throat to make her presence known. The two soldiers stopped talking and turned to greet her.

"_Oh, Milady! I didn't see you there, I apologize!" _Hamilton bowed before the woman as the American soldier beside her gave Piña a small wave, which she returned.

"_Yeah, sorry about that princess. I was just helping Hamilton here with English." _He smiled down at the knight before continuing. _"I won't lie, she's a very quick learner."_

"_That she is. She was ranked Top 10 out of our order when we graduated."_ Piña proclaimed with a hint of pride in her page. Said girl blushed out of bashfulness, taken aback by the sudden praise.

"_I-it wasn't that big of a deal Milady, besides Conrad here is a really good teacher…"_ The girl then refocused as she looked back up to the redhead. _"Oh, but that's not why we're here!"_

"_Oh yeah, almost forgot about that."_

"_Hm? Forgot about what?"_ Piña tilted her head quizzically.

"_Boss just got back into town. And he has some knights that are flying a flag oddly similar to yours. They wanted to see you it seems."_

"_What?! Are they harmed?"_

"_No, not at all! Conrad and I met up with them actually. And it really is the rest of the Order! Bozes was really glad upon seeing me, so I assume she'd be elated seeing you too!"_

"_Where are they?! I need to see them!"_

"_They're coming here now. Originally they were heading for the makeshift prison we have, but upon seeing Hamilton, Boss said they were cleared to go through here."_

"_I see, thank you, sir Conrad. I'll make haste to see them in!"_ Piña dashed out the room, leaving Conrad and Hamilton behind.

"Huh. She seems excited. Now then, where were we…?"

"Greetings, I think."

"Ah yes, that was it. Now then let's see…"

* * *

The knights had arrived at Myui's mansion after about 30 minutes of travel. The leader of the convoy was currently talking with the head maid before being let through. Bozes felt relieved entering, mainly due to the fact she saw Hamilton safe and sound earlier. The timid girl even looked happy to be there, so maybe her liege was safe as well. If she wasn't however, she would rain hell over these outworlders, their magic be damned.

"Grant! Watch the rest of the girls there. I'll bring the main two out to meet the princess."

"Watching them like a hawk, sir," Grant replied lazily. O'Hara chuckled as he motioned for Bozes and Panache to follow. They made their way to the main halls of the mansion when Piña came barreling towards them. Relief washed over the two knights as they raced towards their princess. The trio ended up embracing each other, crying tears of joy for each other's safety.

"Well ain't that a pretty sight," O'Hara said crossing his arms, waiting for them to finish. He decided to cut the reunion short, however. He cleared his throat to get their attention as he began. _"Now I assume this is nice and all, but we have some matters that need to be addressed."_

"_Yes, of course, sir,"_ The trio separated as Piña dusted herself off. _"What seems to be the matter, Mr. O'Hara?"_

"_Well, I was supposed to be heading back to Alnus to file in some paperwork. However, these two and their knights attempted to stop our advance back home." _

"_WHAT?! Is this true Bozes!?"_ The blonde in question smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head bashfully.

"_I-it is… But we didn't attack them, if that what you were wondering!"_

"_It's true. One look at our firepower let them know that they were outmatched. Good thinking too. Had they harmed me my troops would've fired on them without hesitation."_ The dark laughter from the bearded man sent shivers down the women's spines, horrified by his implication. _"But they didn't, so we're all fine! Isn't that swell?"_

"_Oh dear Emroy…"_

"_So we were almost…" _

"_Don't joke like that Mr. O'Hara! And please don't scare my knights more than you already did!"_ Piña cried, holding her shivering knights close.

"_Alright, alright, I won't,"_ Stroking his beard, he let out one last snicker. _"It was still pretty funny though."_

"_Gods you're horrible… what else did you need, sir?"_ She asked, clearly annoyed with the older man's antics.

"_Hmm… oh, did you finish your end of the paperwork? Might as well pick it up before heading back again."_

"_Hm? Oh, yes, of course. One minute,"_ Piña turned to face down the hallway. _"Hamilton! Can you retrieve the papers on my desk please?"_

"_As you say, milady!"_ The girl's voice called back. A few minutes later she came back with a small stack of papers along with a foreign book. _"Here are the documents you wanted."_

"_Thank you, Hamilton,"_ Piña then gave the documents to O'Hara, who thanked her. But before he could leave, Hamilton decided to test her new skills.

"M-mister O'Hara! How are… you?"

"Heheh, I'm doing well, thanks for asking Hamilton. And I'm glad your English is improving."

"Thank you! I am really trying! Conrad is a great help!"

"And a great friend too. I doubt he'd let anyone hold onto his novel." O'Hara said, gazing down at the book clutch in her arms. She noticed the gaze too and smiled.

"Yes, he is! He says that this book can help with my English. And that it is a good read. It is called The Hobbit, I think."

"Well then, I hope you enjoy the book miss. And I'm honestly impressed with your progress, so keep at it, Hamilton."

"T-thank you Mr. O'Hara!" The man waved her goodbye as he left the mansion. The page let out a sigh of relief as she smiled back at her three slack-jawed friends.

"_Whoa…"_

"_You can speak their language now Hamilton?"_

"_When that Conrad fellow said you advanced in English, I didn't expect you to be able to hold a proper conversation like that!"_

The brunette grew embarrassed by the praise she was getting, but part of her felt prideful of this achievement. She decided to remain humble about her advancement though. _"I-I just said what was on my mind, that's all! I still fumbled with words here and there."_

"_Yes, but that's still impressive that you were able to hold a conversation, with one of the American commanders too! I'm proud of you Hamilton."_

"_And we are too!"_ The page gave the other three women a wide smile as tears of happiness pricked the sides of her eyes. A little bit later, more of the Rose Knights came in, all talking with Piña and Hamilton about their experience. It seems like Hamilton would have to thank Conrad later instead.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another corner of town, a certain group of soldiers and their otherworldly tag-along were eating at a rather nice little restaurant set up by some American and Italican chefs. The group consisted of Caroline, Axton, Frederick, Eric, and Tuka. Rory decided to visit the local church instead.

'I have to calm the children of Emroy. What sort of priestess would I be if I didn't do my job?'

"Or so she said. As much as I wanna believe her, she's probably doing something mischievous right now." Caroline said, taking a bite out of her steak. "Mmm… tough."

"Yeesh, that's why I'm vegetarian. Don't gotta deal with tough foods." Eric replied, dressing his salad.

"That's cause you ain't never had Southern Steak. Come down South and we'll treat ya right!" Axe laughed, pointing a chicken leg at Eric.

"Nah, Mid-West steak is where it's at. Great Plains beef is the best beef." Frederick grinned, tearing into his chicken in the process.

"Why should it matter though? Beef is still beef at the end of the day." Tuka added, having already finished her steak.

"Damn girl, you already finished?" Caroline exclaimed. "And no, it's not. I'll side with Frederick on this one though. Everything's better in the Midwest."

"Hell yeah, thank you 'Line!" The spectacled man gave the medic a high-five as he laughed gleefully. "Suck it Axe!"

"Oh har, har. I bet Leo will agree with me."

"Hmm… I dunno, I think the kid would lean towards New York stuff."

"That's just cuz you're both Yanks Eric."

"Maybe. Us Yanks gotta stick together then."

"Speaking of the kid, where is he?" Caroline asked, rubbing her chin in thought. "Haven't seen him or Lelei around recently."

"They are off finding Sage Cato's friend I believe. At least, that is what she told me."

"Oh? Are you sure about that Tuka?" Frederick then grinned over to Eric, who immediately understood what he meant.

"You don't think…"

"I do. I think we found out the Second Lieutenant's type."

"Are ya sayin' what I think ya sayin'?"

"Oh dear…"

"Oh dear indeed, my dear Medic. It seems our favorite lieutenant is on a date, and they only disguised it as an errand!"

"I knew it was going to be something stupid…"

"And how are you so sure of this, Freddie?"

"Well it's simple, there's… uh…"

"You have no clue do you?"

"Shut up! I'm thinking here!"

"Don't hurt yourself. I already patched up the arrow wound, I don't want to deal with a brain explosion for thinking too hard."

"Oh fuck you!" The team's banter continued as they talked about more mundane topics. Tuka was watching the interactions with interest. The soldiers acted like trained killers in battle, but off the battlefield, they act like a bunch of village children with nothing better to do. The mere thought of it made the elf giggle a bit. Times like these made her remember of old times with her family.

Family… why did that word make her sad? She had-HAS a family… doesn't she? Yes, she did, they were playing, living a normal life… until the Flame Dragon razed their village to the ground. The deaths of those close to her replayed in her mind as the last memory flashed through her mind: Her father smiling down at her from the well as the Dragon slowly approached him, its maw wide open. The memory made her jerk up and look around, wondering for a bit where she was.

Tuka's mind cleared a bit as she remembered where she was, and she saw the concerned looks of Recon Squad C. Caroline leaned towards her, cupping the elf's face in her hand.

"Hey, you ok girl? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, why? Why is everyone looking at me?"

"You were crying out of nowhere. Is something the matter?" Tuka stared off to the side, unsure on what to say. She settled with the half-truth, for now, not going any more than that.

"Just… remembered too hard is all. Please do not worry about me. You should enjoy your lunch." The soldiers looked at her warily for a while longer before settling with her conclusion. It didn't rub them right, but it wasn't their place to step in. Caroline made a mental note to do a check-up on the elf soon. But for now, she'd rather finish lunch. Frederick decided to finally break the ice.

"Well then, where were we… ah yes, why the hell does one of the new military policemen look like her hair is made out of leaves? That shit isn't natural!" The group continued on their conversation, the little icebreaker giving them what they needed to ease the atmosphere once again.

* * *

"So was that all?" Leo asked Lelei upon exiting the appraiser's house.

"I believe so, yes. We got the information we needed, and then some. We should expect trade information coming in soon."

"That's good. Looks like I'll send that report in when I get the chance." The duo strolled down the marketplace, taking their time getting back to the mansion. "You know, I've been thinking. We still have some daylight left and today's just a free day for us, so why don't we wander around for a bit and see if there's anything interesting about?"

"Hmm… sure, I don't see why not? Well then Leo, where do we start?"

"That is… a really good question." The boy responded. The blank stare he got from the girl made him laugh nervously as he looked around. His eyes then landed on a small Restaurant that was set up a few days ago. "How about over there? I dunno about you, but I'm feeling pretty hungry."

"Well…" A low grumble from Lelei's stomach immediately shot down any argument she had for eating. She blushed a bit in embarrassment, which Leo smirked at.

"Guess we're eating then. C'mon." The boy absentmindedly took her by the hand and walked over to the restaurant. And the poor girl was blushing the entire way, too hungry to object. They were seated at a small table as Leo ordered a simple dish for them. "Sorry for dragging you over, but I really wanted to eat."

"I can see that, but did you really have to hold my hand the entire time?"

"Oh, I did?" A nod from the girl had Leo rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Heheh, sorry about that then. Anyways, let's get something to eat." He picked up the makeshift menu provided by the staff as the waiter gave them a bottle of Coca-Cola and a glass of water. "They have… a lot of meat. Neat."

"Was that rhyme intentional?"

"Perhaps." The boy got Lelei's signature blank stare, making the boy chuckle slightly. He swirled his bottle, thinking about what to order. Lelei returned to her menu, only to be confused by the words on it.

"Is this written in English?"

"Yeah, why? Can't read it or something?" The girl nodded her head, causing Leo to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you translated our language?"

"Correction, you _spoken_ language. I never said I could translate your written language." She looked at Leo expectedly as he tilted his head in confusion. She sighed as she pointed back at the menu. "Can you read it for me?"

"Oh, uh… yes, I can. As I said, there's almost nothing but meat. They're selling steak, chicken legs, pork chops, beef stew, and some salads too. Not really much, although I'll count this selection as a blessing given our situation…"

"I see. Can I try the beef stew then?"

"Sure, fair warning though. It's pretty chewy."

"I have eaten beef before, Leo. I may not know things from your world, but I'm still an avid scholar here." This elicited a shaky laugh from the boy as he stared at the brazier nearby, wondering how to change the subject. The flame brought back a memory of 2 weeks ago, and one he had questions with.

"Hey, Lelei… how much do you know about that Flame Dragon? The one that attacked the Coda Convoy."

"The Flame Dragon… where do I begin…?" She tapped her chin before looking back at Leo. "However, be warned. This explanation is not a simple one, rather a long-winded one."

"That's fine. The more we know, the better. So I'll ask again, how much do you know about the Flame Dragon?" The boy gave their menus back to a waiter, who left at once. Lelei waited until he was gone to begin.

"The Flame Dragon is an ancient being. I believe it even predates the creation of the Saderan Empire. The dragon is a ruthless and cunning individual, and it stops at nothing to sate its hunger. It razes entire homesteads and even cities just to feast. It is an abomination, to say the least."

"Then why doesn't anyone attempt to kill it?"

"Were it so simple… The Empire has tried, ever since its inception, but has failed every time. Even the esteemed Excelsior Troops of Emroy perish at the hands of the dragon. It has even claimed the lives of entire armies in the past. This behemoth is nigh unstoppable, well it was."

"Was? Don't tell me…"

"Yes, you and the U.S army has shown that the residents beyond the Gate have powers that can not only injure the dragon but kill it as well. The strike that blew off its arm was not a mere fluke. Your army, with that feat alone, shows your superiority to the Empire."

"I see, I guess that's one way to put it… thank you Lelei. I think I understand now, but I still have some more questions. Namely, who or what are these Excelsiors you spoke of?"

"I believe I can answer that, boy." A sultry voice crooned, spooking the two teens. Perched on a railing by their side was the halberd wielding child-woman, Rory Mercury.

"R-Rory?! When the hell did you get back?" Leo cried in shock.

"About 2 minutes ago. It wasn't too tough dealing with some of the minor businesses in the Church. It was a slow day for them anyways," The small woman glanced between the two teens before grinning teasingly. "Although I do feel bad crashing your little lunch date here." Lelei almost choked on her drink as she and Leo blushed at the implication.

"I-it's not like that!"

"We're not on a date!"

"Ah, young love. What I'd do to be young again~" Rory sighed out. Leo was about to make another comment, but Rory's last line struck him.

"What did you just say?"

"Young love?"

"No, not that! The other thing."

"Hmm… oh yes, what'd I do to be young again? Why, is something the matter boy?"

"…Just exactly how old are you? I know you're some kind of demi-god but…"

"Let's see… I am 961 years of age!"

"Jesus fucking Christ, what?! There's no fucking way!"

"She's telling the truth," Lelei interjected. "The Apostles of the Falmartean Pantheon can live pretty lengthy lives before they themselves ascend into Godhood. Some other apostles are even older than Rory."

"Mhm! I believe I am the third youngest out of the 11 of us." Leo then was thrown in a loop from the woman's words again.

"Hey, what do you mean by 11? Aren't there 12 Gods? What happened to the last one?"

"Oh, nothing happened. I say 11 since those are the ones like me. The 12th one, however…"

"However… what?"

"Wareharun is simultaneously a Goddess, Demi-Goddess, and a Forest," Lelei said, taking a sip from her glass.

"…What?"

"Yep! Wareharun is the Spirit of the Forest. The forest grew to immense size and accumulated so much energy that it became a Demi-Goddess, and then a Goddess. It's impressive really." Rory then tapped her chin, remembering why she came. "But I digress. If I remember correctly, you want to know more about the Excelsiors, didn't you?"

"Yeah, care to tell me?"

"I'd be delighted to! They are Emroy's pride and joy, and by extension, mine as well. The Excelsiors are Saderan soldiers who were trained to undergo the harsh training of knights of the God of Death himself. Their training often kills those who are unprepared for it, but for those who pass, they are granted knighthood by Emroy himself! Well through me, of course."

"The Excelsiors are renowned for not only their physical prowess but their magical aptitude as well." Lelei continued. "The soldiers wear enchanted armor crafted by Emroy to be resistant to all forms of magic, and their physical strength is so unmatched that it would only take a single Excelsior to annihilate an enemy army. However, the drawback of these mighty warriors is that they are not loyal to Sadera at all."

"No indeed! My children are loyal only to Emroy himself, and his word is Law to them. And by extension, unless told by me or Emroy himself, the Excelsiors can legally not adhere to the laws of the land. They do anyway because they're good men, ones who only do things purely on orders rather than hatred. The perfect soldiers basically." Rory added that last bit with a twinge of pride. All of which was shattered by Leo's next question.

"So why can't they kill the Flame Dragon?" Rory was briefly sent into shock before reigning herself in. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to find an answer, but one never came. Of course, she knew the actual reason, but she'd be damned than admit that… that… WENCH would one-up her. So she lied, a bitter one but one she could accept. Or she would've had the blue-haired girl not said anything.

"The Flame Dragon I believe is under control by Hardy's Apostle, Giselle."

"DON'T," Rory reeled herself back in upon seeing the teenagers jump at her outburst. She sighed as she leveled her gaze with them. "_Don't_ speak her name aloud. I'd rather not deal with that wench's advances nor her rambunctious child she calls an Apostle."

"I understand. I apologize if I offended you, Rory." Another sigh came from the petite woman as she sat onto the railing.

"No, no, you have nothing to be sorry about. That was my fault, I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, you didn't know any better…" The apostle trailed off before remembering the subject. "Now then, to answer your question little Leo,"

"Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, boy." The groaned from the teen elicited a small giggle from the Victorian woman. "The Excelsiors are strong, yes, but the Flame Dragon is stronger. It has lived for thousands of years, wizening its mind over the years, constantly adapting. A true Apex Predator, and a cruel one at that. And because… _she_ controls it, it has been going on killings sprees all over Falmart. And it doesn't give two shits about those it murders, a true behemoth!"

"I see… also where'd you learn how to swear?"

"I ran into some very drunken soldiers at a bar a few days ago and they taught me such colorful language. It gives my word some oomph that my regular tone can't convey. I love it so!"

"R-right…" Leo muttered, with Lelei giving Rory her blank stare. The apostle didn't seem to mind the stares as she smiled back.

"Well then, I believe I should take my leave here. It would be rude of me to intrude in on someone's date. Take care, little ones! And be gentle with her Leo, she is still just a girl~" The two teens blushed at the demi-goddess's implication before shooting her a death glare, which only garnered a giggle. With a twirl of her halberd, Rory dashed off into the skies, laughing gleefully at her own antics.

"Damn that bitch… she keeps this up and people will start getting the wrong idea…"

"Yes, and I would rather not deal with that headache, if possible." They both let out a sigh of defeat, knowing Rory will constantly pester them at every turn. "Although, she was rather informative. I wonder what has her in a good mood to talk about Sadera's culture as such."

"That's… actually a good point. It took us about 5 to 10 days trying to get information out of those centurion freaks, yet the priestess hands it out all willy-nilly. Makes me wonder what's going through her head."

"If I remember correctly, Rory serves solely Emory, not Sadera. Sadera is merely where Emroy is celebrated the most, so it'd be obvious that she has a lot of information on them. Maybe because she saw your army blast apart the Flame Dragon, she and perhaps Emory took interest into your country instead." Lelei sipped her glass before continuing. "Then again, this is all baseless rumor. We would have no idea what's going on unless we ask Rory directly."

"That's true but given her stance on the whole 'Hardy' thing, I assume she has some skeletons in her closet that she'd rather not reveal."

"She'd have more than some skeletons Leo. Rory has killed upwards of a hundred thousand men in her lifetime." Lelei said, confused at Leo's choice of words.

"Oh, it's a figure of speech we have back home. It means that someone has some secrets they'd rather not show to others. But man, is Rory scary…" He shuddered upon thinking about the demonic apostle.

"Your order, Lieutenant." The waiter reentered, handing Leo a baked chicken plate before turning to Lelei. "As for you, little lady," He placed her beef stew before her. "Enjoy you two."

"Tell the chef I said thanks." The waiter left with a nod as the duo prepared to eat. "Well, enough talk about Sadera and such. Let's just enjoy our meal!"

"Right. I wonder how good this will taste?"

* * *

Back at Fort Gate, General Warner took a puff out of his pipe as he took a light nap. The paperwork concerning Italica on his side was all finished, and he was waiting for O'Hara to come back with the rest. The past week has been busy for him, and he assumed it's been for some of the soldiers too. They still had a job to do though, although with their theater being so close to home…

"Sir!" A messenger knocked. Warner was taken out of his reverie as he glanced at the door. He sighed as he put his pipe onto his desk before sitting up.

"What is it?"

"First Lieutenant O'Hara is here to see you, sir!"

"He sure took his time… Send him in!"

About 5 minutes later, O'Hara and Warner were seated in his office as they chattered about small talk. The documents were in good condition and O'Hara merely stayed to catch up a bit with his friend.

"…and the best part was their faces during it, priceless!"

"Well hot damn Jonah, you always know how to raise hell, don't ya?"

"Heheh, it's part of my charm. It's what made me a threat to those Goose-Steppers in Africa."

"I don't doubt it," Warner gazed off towards a picture of himself holding his son up, smiles adorned on both of their faces. He desperately wished to see his boy again, but the war demanded his full attention. It seems he was looking at the picture for longer than he intended, as O'Hara picked up on it.

"Thinking about your kid, Kalvin?"

"More than you'd ever know, Jonah… sorta wish I can take a break, but-"

"Duty calls, yeah. I can relate. My own daughter must be worried sick about me, not that I'd blame her. I go from war across the sea to one in our backyard, and I still can't see her. But such is the life of the soldier."

"You said it, once dogs of war…"

"Always dogs of war. There ain't no rest for us old men, is there?"

"Guess not… by the way, the press wants to do some interviews with us."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Wanting to know about the G.I in a New World. I don't really get it myself, but we can't let them into the Fort at all. Too much classified stuff and dangerous weaponry. So I was thinking, maybe you and your troop can do some of these interviews?"

"You sure about that? We still have a war going on."

"A very one-sided one. Plus, I'll have Recon Squad D to scout ahead from Italica to do your jobs in the meantime. They're close to the city anyway so it's fine."

"Hmm… if you say so. I'll stay back here with Sergeant Grant though. We'll make sure that things go smoothly back here. I can send the rest of my team over, along with any tag-along they wish." Warner stroked his chin before nodding.

"That'll be fine. However, make sure that the princess does NOT cross over. Leave all diplomacies to us. I rather not risk Piña seeing our world and somehow escaping us with all that information."

"Consider it done. Just leave the redhead here and under watch then. Then send her back to Italica once the base there is finished."

"That's a sound plan. Alright then, recall your team back in Italica. They're going back home for about 2 weeks. As for you, take charge of the Recon Squad D patrol." O'Hara gave the man a salute before exiting. But not before flashing a grin, which the general gladly returned. "Heh, never change, old friend."

* * *

_**Meanwhile, in Germany**_

The Doll brothers were laying in a rather fancy bed, exclaiming about the wonders of German engineering. Viola smiled back at her friends' enjoyment in their new room. Following their sudden appearance in the world, the Outworld Diplomatic Team became acquainted with the country they landed in, or rather the empire known as The Third Reich. The officers they met were surprisingly nice men, commenting on their beauty. The elves were flattered and accepted the compliments wholeheartedly.

Upon hearing the trio's request, the Nazi officers gave them a furnished three-room suite to stay at while in Berlin. According to the head officer, the Fuhrer, as they called their leader, was at the city of Nuremberg at the time, so they'd be in Berlin for a bit.

The mini-Gate in the center of Berlin was reentered by Viola at one point, upon permission by the Nazis officers. She exited only a minute afterwards, letting the men know that despite the portal being temporary, the fact she and her company got to Berlin safely was a huge boon to the Aryans.

The Gate dissipated after a day, with a message from the other elves stating a new Gate will be made as soon as possible. Their plan is to make a permanent one that is like Hardy's own. In the meantime, Viola's team should learn more about the Nazis and their lifestyle. This was one week ago, and the elves had become well acquainted with the locals and even the police.

Viola decided to leave her home, wanting to explore Berlin for a bit. The Dolls were content with staying inside, opting to sleep in instead. Viola made her way down the street, greeting the passersby with a friendly wave.

"_Ah! Miss Viola!" _A man's voice called out. The elf turned and bounded up to the baker who called out to her.

"_Viktor! It's good to see you. Are you doing well?"_

"_I sure am, little elf!"_

"_Hehe, you say that, but I'm probably older than you."_

"_Oh really? If you're older than me, I will give you a loaf for free!"_

"_Deal."_ The big man let out a belly laugh as he leaned forward with interest.

"_Alright then, girl. I am 56 years old. How old are you?"_

"_I am 79." _Viktor did a double-take as he looked up and down at the elven woman.

"_Oh, sweet Jesus… fine, take the bread."_ He passed the elf a fresh loaf before sighing. _"And I thought you'd be greying when you hit that age…"_

"_Elves age a lot slower than a human. We don't start greying until we hit 300."_

"_300?! That's a long time!"_

"_Hehe, it sure is. Thank you, Viktor!"_

"_Yeah, yeah… Don't waste my bread though!"_ The girl laughed as she skipped away from the stall. Viola's general presence put the people of Berlin at ease, and the Doll brothers would always end up making the children laugh. In a matter of a week, the elven trio had created and maintained a healthy relationship with the country they 'invaded', a stark contrast to the idiotic humans of Sadera.

Another voice called out to her, this time a young man's.

"_Miss Viola! A message."_ The man wore simple Wehrmacht fatigues as he ran up to her.

"_Oh? And who are you? I haven't seen you before."_

"_My apologies, ma'am. I'm Klaus Hess, a pleasure."_

"_Hess… by any chance, are you related to that SS officer, Fritz?"_

"_Yes! That's my older brother,"_ Klaus smiled at the mention of his brother before snapping back to attention. _"Oh, but this isn't about me. Here you go, a letter from Herr Hitler, so I assume it's important."_

"_Hitler…? I wonder…"_ Viola opened the letter and read through the ornate letter. A smile graced her lips as she put it away. _"This is wonderful news, thank you, Klaus!"_

"_Glad I could be of service, Miss. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going…"_ The man was stopped by Viola grabbing his shoulder.

"_Wait. The Fuhrer requests I am to meet him at Nuremberg. I need to get my two friends, but we have no clue where to go. And you're our only hope here, soldier boy." _A sigh escaped the man as he looked back at the woman.

"_Fine, I'll take you three there. I am to go to Nuremberg anyways. My next meeting is there, so we can go together."_

"_Great! Follow me then!"_ Klaus only shook his head as he was being dragged about by a very eccentric elf.

'_Mein Gott, what have I gotten myself into…?'_

**Finished! This was a mostly American filler chapter. Some world-building and info dumps were added too because let's be honest here, Leo's a kid but he's still an officer. He knows his list of priorities in a Recon Team, so he'd ask questions for information about the enemy. As for the little fling in Germany at the end, don't worry. Next chapter is a German/Elf dedicated one, so be prepared for that. Like usual, reviews are appreciated. Other than that, see you guys later!**

**Next Chapter: ****Paranoia**


	5. Paranoia

**Now onto the other side of things. I don't know whether to count this as filler or not, but I'm gonna count it anyways. Also, have you noticed the trend with the chapter titles? Barring Total War, the titles have all been song titles. It's mostly a song I'm listening to while writing the chapter and it ultimately relates to the chapter's content. You can totally listen to it as well while reading, they're pretty neat songs. **

**One last thing before I let you go, the German here won't be italicized like previously, since German is the main language here rather than English. Other languages and untranslated German are going to be italicized though. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Paranoia**

"Are you done in there yet, Miss Viola?" Klaus asked, leaning by the door. "The Doll boys are done and we're all waiting on you. And frankly, I'd rather not be late for the train."

"Give me a bit!" About 3 minutes later, the elven woman exited the bathroom with her face prettied up. She grinned as the elf brothers gave her a thumbs-up. Klaus simply rolled his eyes as he beckoned her to leave.

The group followed the soldier as they made their way to the train station. The soldier wore his same Wehrmacht fatigues, but the elven men wore simple black suits and hats. They could've passed for a regular German citizen if their ears didn't poke out from their heads so visibly. Viola wore a navy trench coat and a neat hat on her head. Her long hair couldn't prevent her ears from poking out, but she didn't mind it too much.

Upon reaching the station, the elf flashed her letter with the official Nazi seal, letting them aboard freely. The group got into a car and found a nice booth to stay in. The brothers sat next to each other while Viola and Klaus filed into the one across from them. The men were staring in amazement as the train trudged on carelessly.

"Amazing…"

"To think such a metallic behemoth existed… It'd be such a convenience to our lifestyle as a whole!"

"You two seem eager," Klaus said, smiling at the childlike wonder of the two grown men before him.

"Of course, we have never seen, much less ridden in some of these things before!"

"Then you'd be surprised to learn that this is just the tip of the iceberg concerning German Science."

"Oh, is that so?" Viola's voice piped up next to the man. "Does magic power your contraptions?"

"Magic? You mean like those silly sideshows?"

"I wouldn't call it silly, Mr. Klaus," She twirled her wrist as a ball of pure wind started to revolve in her palm. Klaus's eyes widen in curiosity as it was now the elves turn to smile at his wonder.

"_Mein Gott…_ But that's..."

"Impossible? You doubt it, yet you see it before you. I'll be honest, I found it strange that you have no magic here. Even the humans back home had some magic, even if they wielded it poorly compared to us." She dissipated the wind orb with a flick of her wrist. "But the proof is before you, is it not?"

"It is, it's just that… it's a lot to take in, is all." Klaus sighed as he slumped in his seat. "This is going to make my head spin…"

"Heheh, humans never change, do they brother?" Tor said, grinning to his brother. The other one cracked a smile as he replied.

"What do you expect? They live such short lives, so experiences like these are big changes for them."

"Hmph, you're barely any older than me, why are you talking as if you're an old man?"

"Well, because we are, technically," Granz said, with his brother nodding in agreement. "I am about 128, and my brother Tor recently turned 129." Klaus shot back up, shock once again reigning on his face. He held his face as he groaned.

"And I suppose you're as old as them?" He asked, turning to Viola. She shook her head, letting him breathe a sigh of relief. But before he could continue, she answered.

"I'm 79."

"_Scheiße…_ I-I need a minute…" Klaus massaged his temples as the elves looked at him curiously. They look so young, but goddamn are they old. And along with the fact they innately know _magic_ out of all things; it's just too much for him for one day.

"Well, we told you our age Klaus, why don't you share yours? We assume your kind would live a bit longer due to the fact you are reminiscent of us, even if you are just regular humans."

"I'm… 28. And I assume that's young by your standards."

"Yes, very young. A little boy to us actually!" Tor exclaimed, much to Klaus's annoyance. "Ah, don't fret young one! You're just a human, so don't feel too bad."

"Thanks for the reassurance." The man grumbled sarcastically. Viola giggled to his side before returning back to the window. She was fascinated as she watched the train practically rush past the countryside. She wanted to tell her friends about the intricacies of the train, but the Doll brothers were conversing between themselves on something menial she didn't really understand. As such, she turned to the man next to her.

Klaus was reading an unfolded paper; some sort of scroll perhaps? She read the large letters on the front: **"Germany Pushes into Stalingrad! Stalin's Last Stand?"** Viola wondered what Stalingrad was, but she assumed it was the enemy of Germany. And this 'Stalin' must be their leader. A pretty vain one at that, given the name of the country. Or she assumed it was a country.

"It's a newspaper if you were wondering," Klaus said, flipping a page of the papers. "It lets me know what happened this week."

"O-oh, I see. I was just trying to read it as well. The story looked interesting. Although…" She trailed off, making Klaus raise an eyebrow.

"Although…?"

"What's with the drawing of the man on the cover?" She asked. The Doll brothers looked back at the newspaper, also intrigued by it. "I've never seen such a detailed drawing like it before."

"That's because it isn't one. It's a photograph." Klaus said, folding the paper to emphasize the picture on the cover. It showed a man yelling out to a crowd about something and he looked heated by the looks of it.

"Foto…graph?" Granz muttered, testing the foreign word on his tongue. The soldier nodded as he pointed to the picture.

"Yes, photograph. Specifically one of our leader, Adolf Hitler. Brought the Germans into war so we can retaliate from the injustices of the Treaty of Versailles. And thanks to him, we may see an end to this brutal war soon. Hopefully."

"I see… and what of this Treaty of Versailles, as you called it?" Tor asked. Klaus's mood slightly soured at its mention and looked back into his paper.

"It's a rather touchy subject for us Germans, and one I'd rather not get into. At least not right now."

"Hmm, it must have been a harsh Treaty to your people. I may not know anything about it, but you have our condolences." Klaus merely nodded as he returned to the paper. The elder Doll sighed, worried that he may have dampened the mood with his question. Viola, realizing the mood shift, decided to change the subject.

"W-well, look out at the window! It's impressive how fast we are moving on this train!"

"Hm? Oh, yes. This is your first train ride, isn't it? It's a great feeling if I'm being honest. Although you do get used to it." Klaus said, no longer thinking about the touchy subject from earlier. And seeing the German light up reassured the elves he wasn't one to brood for too long.

"It's such a wondrous sight…" The older elves chuckled at the girl, who continuously gazed out the window with childlike wonder. Klaus smiled at the sight before continuing with his paper. It wouldn't be another hour or two before they reached Nuremberg, so they'd talk about something menial here and there while they traveled.

* * *

The sky was painted with a warm yellow color as the group exited the station. A few stretches later and the group was off towards the building the letter told them to meet at. The elves were taken aback with how similar the city looked to their capital city, Endymion. The only difference is that instead of magical sigils pulsating from the buildings, the same red banners from Berlin flew. The elves have since learned that the flag belonged to Germany and her people.

The further they advanced into the city, the more similarities the elves found that matched their home. From the building structure to the food, down to the very people themselves. It was unsettling yet fascinating at the same time. The SS officers patrolled the streets and when they passed by Klaus, they gave him a nod. The man didn't pay them any mind, rather he ignored them completely as the group made their way down the road. The officers didn't care for the soldier ignoring them as they continued onwards their patrol.

Upon reaching a rather imposing building, Klaus stopped. He extended an arm to beckon the elves to enter.

"I'll leave you three here. I have to attend my meeting now; stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Yes, sir." The elves said, thanking the soldier for his assistance. He waved it off as he made his way off down the street. The elven woman stared at Klaus's retreating form but was urged by her partners to enter the building. The outside looked like it was an odd mixture of Saderan and Aryan architecture, but the inside was a different story.

It was a greyscale interior that almost demanded respect from any and all who entered. The only colors present were from the red banners that found themselves on the walls. Pillars were erected in the corners of the room, making it look as if they were holding up the ceiling with their might. Towards the back end was a wooden door with the word _Konferenzraum_ on a plaque. Two Nazi guards stood in front of the door as if to prevent any unwanted intruders. Luckily for the elves, they just had to flash the official letter to grant themselves entry.

The men nodded and tipped their hats in greeting to the elves. The elves were led through the door, which led to a hallway. By the end of the hallway was a strange metallic door blocked with a gate. One of the escorts opened a metal hatch next to it and pressed some strange symbols on it. Once he pressed a green button, the gate gave way as the door opened. It was a small room with only an overhead light illuminating it. The elves and their escorts filed in as the door closed on them.

"Strange… What is the purpose of this room?" Granz asked, looking around the small area. One of the Nazis sighed as he gave him a sidelong stare.

"You have never ridden in an elevator before?" A shake from the elves made him let out another sigh of frustration. His partner put a hand on his shoulder as he shook his head.

"Let me explain," The other man began. "An elevator is a mechanism that lets us move between floors of a building easily without stairs. It's very convenient, and simple to use."

"This elevator of yours is very useful then," Tor said, folding his arms. "Although, it sounds similar to our orvitars from back home."

"Orvitars?"

"Yes, they are magically infused platforms that we use to move up and down from our buildings. They are quite useful as well. It seems these elevators serve the same purpose."

"Interesting…" The ring of the elevator sounded as the doors opened. "And here we are, take care. And be mindful of your words elves, the man you will be speaking to is our leader. You do not wish to incite his fury." The guard adjusted his hat as he leaned back on the elevator's wall. "Although, you already knew that." The elves watched the doors close as the elevator made its way back up.

"Creepy…" Viola muttered.

"Don't let him get to you, girl. Come on, let us greet this 'Hitler' they speak of." With a nod, the elves entered the room before them. Once inside, the first thing they noticed was the walls. A Red German flag was pinned up at the front, but all around it was maps of Germany and its surrounding areas. Some areas were circled and had red lines pointing to them. The desk in the center was also in a mess, with it having three empty seats before it. All in all, it looked like a war room. And to complete the look, a man was standing behind the table, with his back turned away from them.

He was staring at the flag for a bit before taking notice of his guests. He let out a smirk before turning around to greet them. He wore a beige Nazi uniform and had his dark brown hair combed neatly. The man had a square moustache and wore a dark expression before attempting to hide it with a fake, friendly one. The elves knew who he was at first glance, and were slightly off-put by his demeanor, as if he had some sort of devilish aura surrounding him.

"You must be the elves I've heard so much about," The man said, folding his hands behind his back. "My name is Adolf Hitler, and we have much to discuss. Please, take a seat."

* * *

Klaus made his way towards his meeting house. It was a rather simple building made for Wehrmacht soldiers who weren't deployed yet. Although with how the war hitting its stride, it was expected to be empty soon. As for now, the soldiers are to do menial assignments until deployment. Speaking of, Klaus was receiving his orders from his colonel.

"Major."

"Sir."

"You'll be in charge of something a little different this time around." The gruff man said, handing Klaus a file. He looked at the folder with confusion, but the colonel wasn't finished. "The thing is, the SS need someone to do some espionage for them."

"Tch, ask one of their lapdogs to do it then…" The younger man said with disdain. The older one sighed, but he knew he couldn't do much about that way of thinking. It was no secret that the Wehrmacht and the SS hated each other. The SS acted as if they owned the place, yet they never did any actual fighting like the Wehrmacht soldiers. It boiled the blood of every common soldier that the man in black gets more say than them, but what could they do?

"I understand, but they deemed it too small of a task for their units to do. Saying they're busy doing some sort of peacekeeping missions throughout the nation. I'd say it's bullshit, but I only give orders so I have to keep my mouth shut. Anyways, take a look at that case file when you can." A nod was all the confirmation the colonel needed. "You have your orders. Dismissed!" The few soldiers in attendance stood up and did a Roman salute before exiting. The older man rubbed his temples as he sat back down. "When did things get so stressful for old Reiss?"

Klaus had since left but had heard his C.O's grievances and made a mental note to get him some coffee soon. As for now though, he opened up his file and read it with interest.

Apparently, he is to enter Northern Italy, specifically Venice. It shouldn't be too hard given the situation of the country. Once there, he is to maintain a low profile as a posted soldier in the country as he keeps an eye on a man named Federico Gallepi. According to the Germans, he is a suspected Mafioso attempting to puppet the country from the shadows. But with no proper evidence, there can be no indictment of Gallepi. And with Mussolini under fire recently, it is doubtful the Italians would deal with their rat problem themselves.

The mission statement is to find out Gallepi's plans and determine whether or not he is innocent. If he is, return home and report the situation. If not… take him out, stealthily if possible. Although stealth can be considered optional for this mission. Klaus closed the case file as he walked down the streets of Nuremberg. He tucked it away as he made his way towards a coffee shop.

If he was being honest, it was a rather simple task. Get in, find out the purpose of the Italian, and take him out if need be. The only problem would be on how he would be inconspicuous in getting in. If he went in by himself, it'd be strange, even by German standards. A single soldier, and not an SS? The Mafiosos would be on-guard on such a fishy situation. He cursed to himself as he thought of his excuse on his arrival in Italy.

A hot mug was placed before along with the newspaper. Klaus thanked the waitress as he read through the papers. He gazed at the stories in it, one of them he had a chance to live himself. It was talking about a rare beauty in Berlin, and he chuckled at the picture taken of Viola. She looked utterly confused as she stared at the camera with a finger pointed at herself. The soldier assumed the photographer left after snapping the photo, which made sense. He sipped his coffee as he stared out the window.

'Looks like it's going to be a long day, huh? Hope those three are doing fine…'

* * *

The atmosphere in the war room was strange. The elves knew the man before them wasn't a threat, but he gave off the energy of one. It would be wise to tread carefully around this man. His smile, although kind, looked like it could rival even Emroy's hellish grin.

So far, the group learnt many things about Germany from Hitler. He told them of his idea of the perfect nation and how he was close to achieving that dream. As well as teaching them about the many different technologies the Germans had to offer.

"I fondly remember one of our soldiers constantly boasting about how German Science is the Greatest in the World. It always gave me immense pride whenever he would say that. Unfortunately, he isn't here right now, rather fighting for us in Stalingrad. I wish him the best for a swift victory."

"He sounds very patriotic, Herr Hitler," Tor replied, unknowingly smiling at the man's attitude.

"He is. And he is Germany's pride and joy," Hitler said, a smirk of pride sneaking its way on his face. "But I digress. What about your people? You claim to be Aryans, and I have no intention to disprove that, given you match the description of one. Minus the ears."

"Us Aryans are the superior race of Falmart. The Saderans would be fools to challenge us and they know this." Granz explained.

"Yet they still challenged the Americans."

"Oh? Is that the name of the Behemoth that beat down the Saderans?"

"Hmph, of course, it would be a beatdown. The Saderans are extremely primitive compared to us. Loathe as I am to admit, the Americans are formidable in their own right, despite their ways."

"I see… As for us, we cemented ourselves as the strongest race in Falmart due to our use of Magic."

"…Did you say Magic?"

"Yes, I did. Viola, if you will," The girl to his side nodded as she demonstrated the same wind spell she showed Klaus. Hitler's eyes widened at this and gasped at what he saw.

"_Oh Mein Gott… unglaublich… _Please, teach me more!"

"In due time, Herr Hitler. We physically cannot now, due to no true magical conduits on hand. Once the Gate finishes construction, we can expand on our magical capabilities and demonstrate them there."

"I understand… I expect you to uphold this promise, Tor Doll." The elf man nodded as Hitler folded his arms. "However, this is great news to hear. I hope for the swift completion of the Gate. It will be a boon to the Third Reich and the Aryan Empire."

"Aryan Empire?" Viola asked. "We are merely a kingdom, sir. Even if we cemented ourselves as greater than the Saderans, it is more akin to a stalemate of power."

"And with German Science on your side, your nation will transcend its status of a Kingdom. You will transcend into the great status of an Empire, with the Aryan elves standing at the top of Falmart's power chain! It's rather enticing, is it not?" Before Viola could respond, the Doll brothers were agreeing with the German.

"It's a sound plan, and one I hope goes well. And we will give you aid as long as you give us the same."

"Of course. We'd be fools to refuse aid to our ancestors." Hitler replied.

"Ancestors?" Now it was Tor's turn to be confused.

"Yes, ancestors. The Aryan people of Europe must have gotten our superior genes from somewhere. And I assume it is because you elves must have travelled to this world in the past before the Gate closed on you. It explains why our language and looks are the same, with only minor differences." Hitler then extended an arm out to the men. "So then, do you accept my offer, Aryan?" Tor stared at the arm before grasping it, a wide smile on his face.

"I accept it full-heartedly, German." The men shook before Hitler turned to Granz and Viola, doing the same. "Wonderful, I thank you for being so open. Now then, onto some more pressing matters. I need one of you to enter Italy for me. It's one of our allies to our South, and they have been on the losing end. I need one of you to enter the country as our diplomat to assure the Venetians of German aid and to make sure our officials in the Northern government are at least stable.

"I apologize for the sudden order, but my current diplomats are rather busy at the moment, so I need your assistance. Can you help me, as your first mission of our alliance?"

"Yes, and I will do it," Viola said, standing up. The Doll brothers gazed at her quizzically but she answered. "I appreciate your concerns men, but I need you two to stay here and keep up diplomatic relations with our German allies. And you are to keep an eye out in case the Gate finally opens up for us." The elven men opened their mouth to speak but shut them upon agreeing with their leader.

"I understand."

"You have our word, Viola."

"I'm impressed. It's not often I see a woman offer herself to do such a mission." Hitler remarked. He then gave the woman a tense glare. "Are you sure you can do this? I will not be liable if anything happens to you."

"And I appreciate your concern, Führer, but I can handle myself perfectly fine. If I am to get into trouble, I can magic myself out of trouble."

"That's what I'm afraid of… Fine, but you will need an escort to be with you. Go talk with Colonel Reiss about it, he can help you. He is located East of here." The Führer then went to grab a jet-black hat from a side table and placed it onto Viola's head. "There, now you'll be distinguished as an official German diplomat." The cap was similar to the cap Nazis wore, but it was a lot more ornate and was adorned with the German Eagle. The elf adjusted the cap on her head before bowing to the Führer, who raised his hand to stop her.

"Huh? Is this not how I show gratitude?"

"Not exactly. Raise your arm out like so," He demonstrated by making a Roman Salute. The elf copied his movement as he grinned. "Good, now say _Sieg Heil_."

"_Sieg Heil."_

"Wonderful. And you are dismissed, _Frau Viola._" The woman nodded as she exited the room. The Doll brothers remained as Hitler sat down across from them. "As for you two, we still need to discuss some of the more specifics of our deal."

"Of course… _Mein Führer."_ The brothers said in unison. Unbeknownst to them, a sickening smile graced their lips as they began talking with the Führer.

* * *

It was about an hour or so after Klaus got his orders, and he was going back to the meeting house so Colonel Reiss can advise on how he is supposed to get in Italy. He made his way back, only to find the door slightly ajar. Curious, he pushed it open and made his way to his C.O's quarters. He ended up hearing him in the middle of a meeting, so Klaus opted to wait. That was until he heard a familiar voice.

"…you help me?"

"I can actually. I have a soldier heading there for a mission soon," Reiss then caught Klaus peering into the room out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "In fact, here he is now. Come on in, Klaus!" The soldier sighed in defeat before standing straight in the doorway, saluting to his officer.

"Reporting in, sir."

"At ease, Hess."

"Klaus?" The woman before Reiss asked, the German visor covering her eyes. But Klaus recognized her voice from earlier in the day.

"Miss Viola? What are you doing here?" The elf in question giggled as she poked the cap upwards, revealing herself. "And what's with the hat? You look like Ribbentrop with that on."

"Well, that's because she's our Elven Diplomat and your ticket into Italy without arousing suspicion," Reiss explained, making the soldier look at the elf before back at his C.O.

"…You're joking, right?"

"Not at all. Hitler himself appointed her as the Elven Ambassador and now a German Diplomat. Crazy, huh?"

"And I have to get to Venice to make sure the situation there is stable. I can't go there without an escort." Viola said, twirling her blonde locks a bit. "So can you help me, Klaus?"

"_Verdammt… _I don't think I have a choice here. Welcome aboard, Ms. Viola." He extended a hand towards the elf, which she took graciously as they shook. Reiss grinned as he looked at the agreement. "Did you plan all of this, colonel?"

"Surprisingly, no, I didn't. This actually came up all coincidentally," The older man stroked his chin before chuckling to himself. "Although, this did turn out for the better. Get whatever you need today, as you're expected to depart tomorrow morning. I don't doubt that the Führer has already sent a telegram to the Italians."

"How reassuring… fine, let's pack our things, Viola." The woman looked at the soldier with a catlike expression as he made his way out. He stopped in the doorway as he stared back at her. "Well, what's wrong?"

"Can we go back to Berlin first? I want to get the clothes I bought recently."

"…" Klaus stared at her with a blank expression before he left the room. Viola paused for a few seconds before she stormed after him.

"H-hey! That doesn't answer my question! We have to go back to Berlin! I need my clothes; they feel so nice and warm!" The man kept walking, prompting the elf to cry comically.

"_KLAAAUUUSSSS!" _

* * *

The two German visitors exited Venice Train Station with no trouble. They had left morning time, with Viola whining the whole way.

'_You're too unfair! Let me at least bring my coat!'_

'_There's no point. Let's go.'_

The elf was still pouting about it on the train ride to Venice. Klaus didn't care too much as he said, 'We have a job to do.' The ride was largely uneventful, with Viola asking Klaus some basic things about Italy. Some of the bigger questions, he usually responded with a simple 'You'll see.' It made her anxious to see what Venice had in store for her. The first thing that caught her attention upon leaving the station was the sea. It was shining in all its glory before her, as the station faced the Grand Canal.

Her eyes sparkled as her gaze was transfixed on the body of water before her. A simple push from behind brought Viola back to reality as Klaus moved ahead. She shook herself out of her reverie and followed the man. She could not for the life of her figure out what goes on in his head.

'I suppose I'll find out eventually… but would it kill him to lighten up a little?'

"You're staring. What's wrong?" Klaus suddenly spoke, making Viola jump a bit.

"W-w-well…" She stuttered out. Before Klaus could cut her off she piped up. "You're always being so aloof! What's up with that?"

"…" He looked at her before staring ahead of himself again. "I have my reasons."

"Well, they're not good ones…" The soldier ignored her as he trudged along, leading her to pout again. 'Jerk.'

The duo made their way towards Venice's City Hall. Along the way, Viola remarked on the beauty of the city, from its architecture to the fact that the city was practically made on the water. Klaus watched as his elven companion idled around, taking every little thing into detail. He didn't stop her, nor did he want to. It was her very first time experiencing Venezia in all her glory, so he let her have her fun.

Eventually, the pair arrived at the City Hall. The Italian guards immediately seized up and saluted Klaus and Viola upon seeing their attire. The girl waved friendlily while her partner nodded. The men stepped aside and let the Germans through. The city hall was nothing to write home about, as it simply was just a hub for governmental activities. In this case, German Puppets. One of the guards in the inside gestured over for the pair to enter the back room, where one of the politicians stayed.

The diplomats were met with a portly man with greased-back black hair. He had a rather friendly face though, as he greeted the Germans kindly.

"You must be the diplomats Herr Hitler sent! Welcome, welcome! Come then, take a seat." The man gestured. The pair sat down, though Klaus was on guard in case anything went wrong. "Now then, let's have some introductions, shall we? My name is Giovanni Brittoli, mayor of Venezia. A pleasure. And as for you sir," Klaus raised his head in confusion. "It's improper to place your hat on your wife like that. It's unbecoming of a young man to delegate duties to his significant other."

Viola took a bit to register what the mayor had just said. She then widened her eyes before attempting to correct the mistake. "O-oh, no, we're not like that you see-" Klaus raised his hand to silence her as he glared at Brittoli.

"Are you trying to piss me off?" The portly man did not expect that response from the Wehrmacht soldier before him. "I am merely the escort. SHE is the diplomat, and we are not even married. I don't even know how you got to that conclusion. Now, are you going to continue to beat around the bush or are you going to listen to what she has to say?" The man was visibly shaken by the cold demeanor of the German so he relented.

"Y-you're right, I apologize… Now then, I have received Hitler's telegram this morning. Am I to assume his words are true through you?" Viola nodded as she got serious as well.

"They are. The Germans will offer any and all support to you, sir Giovanni, as long as you stay out of trouble. In the event of an Allied Invasion, expect our full support in defending Venezia. In return, you must allow German soldiers to enter and exit the city at will, no questions asked."

"I understand… so we have an agreement, Miss… I'm terribly sorry, I didn't even get your names yet!"

"Oh, my name is Viola Ans, Elven Ambassador and German Diplomat."

"Elven? Like those fantasy creatures from those old, dusty books?"

"The very same. I thought my ears would be a giveaway honestly."

"Well, I didn't expect the Germans to be acquainted with such a beautiful race of people such as yourself," He turned to the soldier. "Er, no offense, Mr…"

"Hess. Klaus Hess, at your service. And none taken." Klaus crossed his arms before continuing. "And I assume we are finished here, yes? Flattery will get you nowhere, Mayor Brittoli." The large man laughed nervously, not liking the blonde man's attitude. It put him off too much for his liking.

"I-I understand, sir. Please, enjoy the rest of your stay in Venezia. My guards will let you know where to stay." The duo was escorted out of the room, and once out of earshot, Giovanni let out a sigh of relief before morphing his face into one of disgust. "What a wretched man. I hope he and Germany burn to hell; alliances be damned."

"Ah, but wouldn't that put us at odds, Mayor Brittoli?" A menacing voice called out from behind a pillar. Brittoli froze in shock for a second before smiling. He fully expected the man to be listening in on their little discussion earlier, hell he was counting on it. The man behind the pillar stepped out the shadows and revealed a gangster wearing a rather expensive black suit. He held a hand to keep his fedora in place, yet wore a sickening grin on his face. "After all, we need the Germans just a little while longer. Once they've outlived their useful, then their lives will be forfeit."

"And then, we can have our retribution, as well as a free Venezia, with your boss's backing of course… Rovveri Frisco." The man removed his fedora, revealing an almost mad face, with the edges of his mouth sliced to force a smile. He bowed as he walked up towards the politician.

"Now, now. My name is Mad Edge Frisco, you have to use to full title, my friend." The man said, pressing his hand into the mayor's shoulder. The larger man cringed at the pressure but attempted to maintain composure.

"A-ah, my mistake."

"Good. Now then, onto more pressing matters," The strange mobster's permanent smile somewhat faltered as he got serious. "It seems the Germans are attempting to find us out. We thought that with Mussolini's propaganda control, we'd be out of the limelight, but it seems that damned Führer wants to snuff us out for good."

"So? We will just have to keep the mob in the shadows until the Allies come in and beat back the Nazis. It'll only be a matter of time anyways."

"Were it so simple, Porky. But as you have noticed, we have ourselves a little… wrench. The Germans are here in Venezia, and they will continue pouring in once those two leave." The mayor narrowed his eyes at the mafioso, attempting to understand his viewpoint.

"You're not insisting we…"

"I am. Come morning, the two diplomats will have suffered an… unfortunate accident. The soldier will have been impaled in the neck by a 'stray piece of broken wood' and the elf will have a broken neck from an 'unlucky shower accident'. Very sad news, but it will convince other Germans not to interfere." The two Italians smiled wickedly at the plan.

"Yes… very sad _indeed_," The politician then clapped his hands together with his previous friendly demeanor back up. "_Bellisimo! _I expect no less from you, Mad Edge Frisco!"

"You have my word, puppet." The man slinked back into the shadows, laughing callously all the while. The mayor watched as he disappeared behind the pillar again before sighing.

"How does he even manage to do that?"

* * *

"How do you even manage to do that?"

Viola was with Klaus in their hotel room. It was a rather spacious bedroom with two beds to accommodate for the two of them, as well as a television set. Along with the other furnishings, it seemed very luxurious for just some diplomats. Then again, they were German, so it was to be expected. As for the two people in question, well…

"It's basic military knowledge. We have to know how to disassemble and reassemble our weaponry for on-site repairs and such. You don't do the same?" Klaus had shocked Viola when he neatly disassembled his StG 44, cleaning its components with care.

"No, we don't! Unlike your weapons, we have finely forged blades and staves. They do not need to be repaired by ourselves."

"I see, what a shame."

"Tch," The woman stared at the rifle before her. It looked like such a complex weapon, yet its function was very simple. Pull the trigger, and the bullet shoots out. The model before her was a recent one according to Hitler, an attempt to create a battle-ready assault rifle. It looked like it did its job, so she couldn't complain.

"Having fun there?"

"Shut up! I'm merely analyzing your 'rifle' as you call it, nothing more!"

"Alright then, just don't hurt yourself." Viola stuck her tongue out childishly as Klaus rolled his eyes. He finished cleaning his gun and was about to reassemble it back together when the pieces started floating. He widened his eyes a bit and turned to Viola when he was taken aback. She had her eyes shut as runes appeared in front of her now-outstretched arm. She opened her palm and starting speaking phrases in Latin that he didn't understand.

Then, the pieces of the rifle started to affix themselves to each other before perfectly reassembling themselves back together again. The runes disappeared from Viola's arms as the rifle began to fall. Klaus caught it and stared back at Viola, who looked back at him with a curious expression.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Did you just…?"

"Fix back your rifle? Yes, I did. I analyzed every part of the gun and let my magic do the rest. It's a rather handy skill whenever we're researching and creating new Runic Spheres. This was just a bit more complex, but nothing I couldn't handle!" The elf proclaimed with pride. Klaus stared back at his rifle with interest and immediately reared his hand back when a small bolt suddenly shot at his hand.

"What's with it now?"

"Just a little extra thing on the side, because you are my partner. I decided to enchant your rifle. Nothing too bad mind you, just that the rifle can make its bullets electrified now."

"What!?" Klaus exclaimed. He looked at his rifle, and sure enough, the barrel was glowing with an ethereal blue light. "_Wunderbar_… Thank you, Viola."

"It is my pleasure. By the way, this is the first time I've heard you use my name without saying 'Miss' before it. Have you started to warm up to me?"

"Maybe, maybe not. For now, just assume I let it slip." He quipped.

"I can't even begin to understand you, Klaus." The soldier snorted at the comment as he slung the rifle back on his back. Viola sighed before getting up, prompting Klaus to do the same. This caught her attention as she looked at the man quizzically. "What are you doing? I'm just leaving the room."

"I'm coming with, I can't let you out of my sight, as per orders."

"What the- no! I'm heading to the bath! I'm not letting you in there with me!"

"Too bad, I am to remain at your side at all times, lest you get kidnapped or worse."

"I'm still not letting you in the same bath as me, that's-" A soft, but sudden 'thud' was heard outside the room, freezing both occupants in place. The elves have acute hearing due to their specialized ears and this is shown with the dexterity of Elven archers. But Viola didn't understand how Klaus was able to hear the noise as well but didn't question it due to more pressing matters. "What the hell was that?"

"It came from the hallway. Tread carefully, we don't know what's out there right now." The elf gulped before nodding back at her partner. They took a few cautious steps towards the door with Klaus having his handgun at the ready. He slowly went to peer through the peephole, only to sigh in relief. "False alarm, it's just room service." The girl beside him let out a breath of relief as he opened the door.

"_Buonasera Signore, Signora. _I have some fresh sheets for you two. I hope you don't-" The man never finished as a jagged dagger flew into the side of his head, killing the poor man instantly. Viola gasped in horror as the man's body slumped to the side, blood pooling from the wound. She ran out to check on the man with Klaus rushing out the room with his gun drawn. Then, to the shock of the pair, runes started to form on the dagger's hilt as it levitated out of the bellboy's head and slinked off to the side. Towards the hand of the man behind a pillar.

"_Porco Cane…_ And I really didn't want any witnesses… Oh well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Aren't I right, Germans?" The man clutched back his dagger as a burst of horrid laughter escaped him. "Although, I don't expect you two to live through this night. Your deaths will be a warning to Hitler: Don't poke his nose where it doesn't belong." Klaus shot his pistol at the pillar, with the man quickly ducking behind it.

The soldier immediately went on the offensive, pulling out his rifle and firing at the pillar. The electrified bullets made contact with the pillar, hitting the structure with static residue. The structure eventually gave way as a chunk of it was now missing, but curiously, no assassin in sight.

"Tch, he's hiding somewhere… keep your eyes peeled Viola!"

"Right!" The pair were now back-to-back, anticipating an attack from any angle. Any angle that is, except below. The assassin's knife suddenly shot upwards between Klaus's feet, slicing the side of his head. He bit back a cry of pain as he held a hand on the cut. It wasn't severe, but damn did it hurt. "Klaus! Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine! Focus, where's the knife now?"

"It's… _Scheiße, _it's coming from above!" She cried as the knife was hovering dangerously above them. Its runes started glowing again as it prepared a nosedive.

"Really?! Dammit, get out the way now!" They jumped away from each other as the blade plunged downwards and impaled itself into the floor. The laughter of the assassin was heard again as the soldiers heard another thud. They shot a glance at the ceiling, where the laughter was coming from and got back up. "He's commanding this thing from upstairs; we have to confront him there!"

"Like I'd let you do that!" The assassin cackled, his words resounding throughout the hallways. The duo ran down the hall, aiming for the stairs. All the while the enchanted knife was slicing its way in and out the walls, attempting to shark its victims. It got close and sliced Viola's arm.

"AA-Mmph?!" A hand clasped over her mouth as they ran towards the stairs. It was Klaus, with blood streaming down the side of his face. He pulled her by a potted plant as they hid next to it.

"Keep quiet. Do you want him to know where exactly we are?" He whispered harshly. A shake from her head let him remove his hand from the elf's mouth. "Good. We need to keep our voices low. Notice how the blade hasn't moved from there?" He said, pointing at the suspended dagger in the middle of the hallway.

"But what do we do? We can't make any noise or else that thing is going to skewer us before we reach the door." She muttered back.

"Not exactly. Our voices are low, so that means he can't hear us. Good, we keep it that way." As proof, Klaus grabbed a stone from the pot and threw it against a wall down the hall. And like clockwork, the blade chased after the noise from its hit and sliced the rock in half. "That's our ticket out of here… follow my lead and keep crawling."

* * *

"Everything is going according to plan," Frisco grinned. He wore his standard mafia clothes but wore a less restrictive vest and a loose coat, made to conceal his weapons better. The weapon underneath his coat had a button that would make his arm blades jut out from his coat. Sure it will rip the fabric, but his family was made of money, he'll be fine. All that matters is the plan.

It was easy enough; wait in the floor above as the Rune Blade cuts through them like butter. Although it was a little odd how his victims weren't making noise, it made little difference to him. He was going to get the job done, and he was willing to play this war of attrition with his prey. He'll win in the end, he always does.

"Besides, what are the odds that those fools will even find me? I could be in any one of these rooms. Pfft, _idioti…_" Frisco said aloud, eating some crackers in an unused room. He continued chewing, albeit disgust grew on his permanent smiling face. "_Madonna santa, _these crackers taste awful! Ptoo!" He spat out the snack as he growled. "Shitty ass food… when will those two croak already!?"

The door burst open as a wind spear impaled itself into the wall next to Frisco's ear. It dissipated in an explosive howl, making him grunt in pain, his eardrum bleeding from the sudden boom. His eyes darted over to the door and was shocked to see the two Germans not only alive but standing in his doorway. The elf had her arm outstretched as runes slowly disappeared from them.

"Found you asshole!" She whisper-yelled. Frisco was confused for a moment until a horrible realization dawned on him. Those two assholes figured out how his blade worked. But how?! And even if they did, they shouldn't have been able to get upstairs without him knowing.

"You weren't supposed to leave there alive!" Frisco cried. He brandished two arm blades by pressing a button underneath his clothes. "I'll teach you why they call me Mad Edge Frisco. Let's dance, bastards!"

Frisco lunged towards Klaus with a surprising amount of speed. The man rolled to the side before letting his rifle fire off again. The shots hit their mark… only to pass right through the body.

"What the-?!"

"Over here!" Frisco was now up on the ceiling, preparing to stab down at Klaus's skull. It seems he left some sort of after-image somehow. A strong wind gust blew him into the wardrobe, pushing him off his path. Viola had used her runes again and was panting heavily.

"_V-verdammt…_ I only have 1 rune left…" She muttered to Klaus, keeping a watchful eye on the wardrobe. "We better make these count…"

"Right, the important thing is that you disabled his hearing. That last attack must have burst his remaining eardrum. On my signal, let off your last rune." The elf nodded as she readied her spell, prepared for the next attack from the smiling man.

"You… fucking… PRICKS!" Frisco roared from underneath the wardrobe. A blur ran out from underneath it as he was in the corner of the room's ceiling now. "My fucking ears hurt now because of you! I'm gonna take my time ripping you two limb by limb!" The Mad Edge bolted straight at them with pure rage in his eyes. He was closing in fast and they had to act now. With that in mind, Klaus had Viola back off as he initiated his plan. He took a deep breath, then…

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Even if your ears were damaged, you'd still hear his cry. And so did Frisco, who laughed madly as he bounded on top of the man.

"GAHAHAHA! Have you finally given up on all hope and scream in terror?! My blade will impale you now!"

"Who said that was a scream of terror?" Klaus said in an eerily calm tone.

"Eh?"

"You know, that knife of yours, the one that attacks by sounds? It's pretty terrifying but very exploitable. How do you think my partner and I got out?"

"What are you getting at, German?"

"Well, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone with this gambit. And it seemed like it worked." Klaus suddenly threw blood into the eyes of Frisco, who leaned back in surprise. "Viola, now!"

"On it!" A blast of wind shot towards Klaus, launching him into the nightstand, but most importantly, out of harm's way. As in that moment, the jagged knife from before launched itself from underneath the floor and stabbed itself straight into its master's abdomen.

"GRAAAAHHHH!" The assassin doubled over, vomiting blood and with the loss of his hearing and eyesight, he didn't know what was happening. "W-What did you do to me?!"

"Remember that slash you gave me? You shouldn't have done that. I used the scream to not only attract the blade over here but to get the adrenaline pumping in my veins. Specifically, my head. Once I did that, my blood started to gush out like a fountain of sorts. I used that as my advantage and pooled it all in my hand. From there, I had to bet on your doing something foolish, which you did. Thank you for that. Because of that cocky move, I was able to spray my blood into your eyes.

"So the fact of the matter is… you lost this battle, Rovveri Frisco!" A swift kick to the stomach drove the blade deeper into his stomach, making the mafia assassin cough up even more blood. "Although at this point, you can't even hear me, much less answer my questions." Viola got back up as she stood over the crippled mafioso, anger worn on both of their faces. The downed assassin looked up at them with fear in his eyes.

"P-please, I was only following orders! I didn't actually want to hurt you, much less the waiter I killed! Please spare-" With one combined motion, Viola and Klaus both shot the man in the head. Klaus shot him with his pistol while Viola used a concentrated wind bullet from her fingertip.

"_Fahr zur Hölle, du stück scheiße._"

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Klaus chuckled before kicking the corpse over, removing the knife from it. The runes were still inscribed on the blade, but by pressing his thumb on its gemstone, the runes disappeared, just like Viola's own. "This… is a strange weapon."

"And very troublesome. We need to find out what exactly is happening," Viola said, taking the knife from Klaus. "You said magic doesn't exist in your world, yet this exists. Either you were lying to me, or someone got here before us…" Viola's words hung over the pair as they stood over the corpse of the mafioso. A corpse with no answers for their questions, so they'll have to continue on their path. And it looks like they have their work cut out for them.

Viola sighed as the duo slumped down in the room, holding their injuries. Klaus then chuckled a bit, getting the elf's attention. "What has you so happy?"

"Just remembering how we escaped. I can't believe how stupid he was to have to attack any loud noise that wasn't his."

"Heh, that was pretty funny," Their escape was rather easy, due to Klaus and Viola tossing rocks down the halls. Once the assassin let out his big mouth, they guided the knife carefully to be set up underneath the room as their final blow. From there, they crawled out of the lower floor before making their way upstairs. From there, they just had to find the room Frisco was hiding in, which was easy enough. "What an utter fool… By the way, how did you know who he was?"

"Frisco showed up on the file as some of the other men to keep an eye on. It looks like that file ended up as a hit list now. Barring Gallepi, but who knows what's going on there?" Klaus looked over to the corpse's face. Even in death, Frisco's carved smile still shone through, even when fear gripped his lifeless eyes. Cruel irony, huh? "This is going to be one hell of a month…"

"I still need my bath, you know. It's going to be awful scrubbing out all this blood."

"You said it, also our injuries are going to be hard to bathe with." Viola shook her head as she cast a spell, closing up the cuts on their bodies. It stung, but Klaus powered through it. "I thought you had no more runes?"

"Yes, no more runes. I can still use my cantrips at will. Such as my wind ball and light heal. My runes will come back once I have a long rest."

"I see… Well then, this bath won't wait on us. Let's go." Klaus got up, holding out a hand for his partner. She took it graciously before staring at the soldier skeptically. "What?"

"You're not going to hop in the same bath as me, are you?"

"…" The man stared back blankly before walking out the room, making the girl fume.

"You can't just ignore me on that! Klaus? Klaus! _KLAAAUUUSSSS!_"

* * *

**Done! This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but it felt good to stop it here. And hey, another chapter so soon? Unheard of! From now on, we will have two separate stories that will be going on. The German espionage missions will appear every so often, but they won't appear frequently. Expect full German-centric chapters to pop up after a few chapters of the main storyline. **

**Most of the German and Italian lines here are done by digging around on websites and Google Translate. So if I get some phrases wrong, bear with me. I literally only speak English. Any linguistic help is appreciated.**

**Like usual, reviews are appreciated as well. Thanks for all the support you've been giving my story, I really appreciate it! I hope I'm doing alright, diverging from canon like this. Anyways, until next time, take care!**

**Next Chapter: Jingle Jangle Jingle**


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